Angels and Demons
by Ellitheria
Summary: AU Shadowhunter Universe. Clary Morgenstern was a princess, and Jace was a slave. When Valentine brings Alec and Jace to the manor to help with his experiments, Clary is introduced to a world filled with demons and danger. And when the truth is revealed about the world Jocelyn hid from her, how will Clary react? What adventures lie before our dynamic duo? [Clace] [Malec]
1. Ch 1 - The Beginning

**Title**: Angels and Demons  
**Rating**: T  
**Pairings**: Clace, Malec  
**Summary**: AU. Clary Morgenstern was a princess, Jace Wayland was a slave. Rude, rash and ignorant, he tries to pretend that nothing hurts him. But when he falls in love with the forbidden princess, he opens himself up to even the possibility of death. [Clace] [Malec]

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Mortal Instruments or its characters, however I do recognize and jump upon the ability to twist them to my will in the world of fanfiction. :)

* * *

**Angels and Demons - Chapter 1**

Clary sat perfectly still, her eyes closed and her fingers clenched around a piece of black chalk. The wind blew through her hair and ruffled the papers in her lap. The sunshine was warm on her face, caressing her neck where she stretched it to capture every drop of sun she could.

It was a beautiful day. The trees were green - finally, after a long, cold winter - and the grass was soft. The wind was blowing just slightly, making the leaves on the trees dance, sway, and sing a soft, sweet melody. The river, not far from her drawing spot, gurgled as the water ran over the rocks. The sun, shining down so heavily, was beginning to infuse some heat and color back into her sun-staved skin.

_"Sunlight,"_ had been the doctor's opinion when he had come to see her several weeks ago. The king's doctor, extravagant and ridiculous, had been around as long as Clary could remember. He was always wearing the weirdest clothing - bright colors, poofy sleeves, extravagant hats. _"She just needs to get out in the sun more. Being inside all winter is enough to make anyone depressed_. _God, I'm close to being depressed."_

Clary laughed to herself. Oh, Dr. Magnus. He was a riot.

But the snow had finally melted, and the mud had hardened. Then, ever so slowly, buds began to form on the trees, and then leaves, and the grass had turned green. And then the sunlight had come. And it was wonderful, and finally Clary was able to draw and paint something other than snow and barren trees.

_"CLARY!"_

The red-headed princess in question rolled her eyes at the sound of her father's voice. Valentine was the king, and as such thought he owned the world. Well, he owned part of the world. So there was that.

"_Clary! _Come out, come out wherever you are!" His voice was teasing, but it still sent a shiver down Clary's spine. "Sebastian and I are leaving and your mother would like some company!"

Clarry huffed. Her mother would like company - more like, Valentine would like someone to babysit Jocelyn because Valentine worried her mother had the hots for the butler, Luke Garroway. Which, to be fair, she did. But Clary knew her mother better than anyone, and she knew that even though her mom didn't love her dad anymore (did she ever? Clary couldn't imagine loving someone like her father as a woman should love a man), she'd never do anything about it. How could she? She was the queen by marriage only. One did not divorce the king. It was unheard of and, frankly, kind of illegal.

"COMING!" Clarry yelled, loudly enough that her father could hear her from her secret hiding place. No one knew where she went off to when she painted and drew, although it couldn't be hard to find. It was less than a half mile from the estate, through the woods and over a small cliff. The edge of the cliff tapered off, ending in a point big enough for her to sit on. From here, she could see the whole meadow and the flowers that were just beginning to bloom. Red, yellow, blue, purple... it was a sea of color. And she wanted so badly to paint it, to draw it... but she hadn't had the drive to do it today. Today, she had spent two hours laying in the sun, soaking up the sunshine and loving the fact that there was no more snow in sight.

Sighing, she bounded to her feet, packing her black chalk in with the others before throwing them into her shoulder bag. Glancing around to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she began walking through the trees and down the hill that lead to her house.

She scoffed.

_House_. That was an understatement. It was a freaking castle, towering over all the others houses on the estate - the barns, the storage houses, the sheds that held the horses and the wagons, and the slave houses.

_Slave houses_.

Even the words felt dirty in her mouth. She hated the way her father treated the slaves - like they were nothing. No, less than nothing. He beat them, mocked them... once he had even killed one. He had claimed that he was putting the man out of his misery, that he wouldn't survive the sickness that had taken hold in his wasted, worn body. But the look of horror that had set itself in Magnus's eyes for the next few months told Clary that he - the slave, Stephen, an older gentleman who drove their carriage and had been known to speak out against Master Valentine on occasion - hadn't been beyond saving.

Shaking her head to rid herself of the poison thoughts, Clary pushed a few branches out of her way and entered her yard.

The house was two stories tall - windows covered every wall and balconies jutted out from every room. The yard was sprawling, evenly cut grass, decorative bushes and cut and shaped circling the driveway. Her father's chauffeur had already pulled around the wagon and horses, and was helping her older brother, Sebastian, into the backseat of the carriage.

Her father was waiting impatiently besides the horse, his arms crossed and his foot tapping.

"Clary - "

She didn't even speak to him. Instead she waved to Sebastian and walked inside the house. She wasn't in the mood for a lecture, and to lecture her was the only reason her father ever spoke to her. He often seemed annoyed by her presence.

"Mom?" Clary called out, reaching the bottom of the stairs and touching the railing. It was a spiral staircase, leading up to the second floor which was mostly full of bedrooms and bathrooms. Above the second floor, in a loft accessible only by a small staircase, was where the housekeepers, cooks, and, when they had needed them, the nanny, slept.

"Mom? Where are you?"

"She's upstairs," came a deep, loud voice. Clary's lips immediately split in a wide smile, her eyes sparkling as she turned to face Luke, the man she called Uncle and her favorite man in the house.

"Uncle Luke!"

The man, tall, dark-haired, and always smiling, turned and faced Clary. He grinned lopsidedly, and wrapped Clary in a warm hug. "Your mother is upstairs, she'll be down in a minute. I think she wanted to paint with you this afternoon."

"Okay," Clary answered, pulling away from Luke's warm embrace. "Valentine - " she never called Valentine "father" except when she was in front of him, "Told me I had to come back while he and Sebastian are gone."

Luke didn't say anything, but his smile was tighter and his eyes smiled less as Valentine's name entered the conversation. Clary never spoke to him about her father, but Luke knew the relationship was a strained one. It always had been strained.

"What are you doing today?" Clary asked, secretly hoping that Luke could spend time with them, but knowing he probably couldn't.

"I have to ... to make some preparations," Luke said, sighing. He knew Clary was a sharp girl - he knew by the look in her eyes that she understood that "making preparations" meant that Valentine and Sebastian had left to pick up a shipment slaves and that they would need somewhere to sleep and stay once they arrived.

"Okay. Well - "

"Clary!"

Clary turned to see her mother, red-haired and bright-eyed, walking down the stairs. She and her mother looked exactly alike, much like Sebastian and her father did. Honestly, Clary looked nothing like her father and was happier for it. She looked nothing like her father and didn't behave like her father and didn't believe anything that her father believed.

"Mom. Luke says we're going to paint together today?" Clary's eyes sparkled, excited at the prospect of sitting and painting with her mother, her mother who taught her everything that she knew. Who didn't care if she sprawled out on the grass, sitting in an 'un-ladylike manner'. Her mother didn't care if her dresses pulled up or her hair was a mess, as long as it was just the two of them. Her mother, who often seemed out-of-place in this fancy, controlled life.

"I thought we could go outside and soak up some of that sun that Dr. Magnus says you need so badly."

Clary nodded, excited. Her supplies were already in her bag, her chalk and her paints and her brushes. Her papers, for which she was privileged to have access to as they were expensive, were in there as well, carefully wrapped and cared for. But as it was her only "lady-like" habit, her father indulged her.

"I'm happy to spend time with you," Jocelyn said, smiling as they walked out into the yard. The servants had already set up a bench and an easel to put their supplies on. Clary just nodded, happy and not feeling the need to talk.

They spent hours like this, occasionally talking, often just painting the trees and the flowers and each other in silence. It wasn't often they were able to spend time like this, and she loved it. More often than not, her mother was entertaining her husbands guests, entertaining Valentine himself, or attending events with Valentine. Clary was enjoying their time so much that when, hours later, the carriage pulled up in the driveway, she barely noticed.

"Clary," her mother said gently when she noticed her husband and son pull up. "We should clean up and head inside."

Clary just nodded, beginning to pack her chalk into its tin. She glanced toward the carriage, and noticed that her father and brother had only been joined by only two new slaves - both men, by the looks of it.

"Mom?" Clary asked, quietly. "What does dad need new men for?"

"Well," Jocelyn said quietly. "Your father needs help with his ..." she sighed, "work."

"What does he need help with? Luke helps him. Actually, come to think about it, what does he do?"

Jocelyn smiled and shook her head. "I know not to talk to him of it, Clarissa, as should you."

Clary felt almost as though her mother had slapped her. She nodded once, curtly, and pursed her lips. As she walked toward the house, however, she noticed that the two new slaves weren't men, but in fact boys, of around her own age.

And as she opened the door to head inside, the younger of the boys caught her eye. She gasped sharply, and he grinned at her reaction. His eyes were golden, and his hair was sun bathed, curly, and long. He cocked his head to the side, and, without breaking their gaze, he winked one eye at her.

She blushed, tripped over the entryway, and followed her confused and concerned mother inside of the house.

As the door slammed shut behind her, Clary found herself grinning.

_Who was this boy? The boy with blond hair and golden eyes?_

She hoped she would get the chance to find out.

* * *

I have a rough plan for this story, and I'm excited to see how it will pan out. :)

This takes place in the past, and may or many not involve the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. I've dropped several hints in this prologue that will develop later in the chapter, and if you can guess them I'll be impressed. I hope to update often, but since I am in college, my time is pretty limited. At least once a week, hopefully more, is my goal.

**Please leave thoughts, suggestions, and helpful criticism in your review! **


	2. Ch 2 - The Meeting

It is important to note, and it will be sprinkled in throughout the story, the setting in which my story takes place.

They live in the country of **Idris**, with **Alicante **being the capitol, or most important of six states or regions. Each of six powerful families rules one region. While it is not required that princes and princesses marry from another ruling family, it is seen as a peace agreement of sorts to offer marriage from one family to another.

**Morgenstern **rules **Alicante  
****Wayland **rules **Pyrdain  
****Fairchild **rules **Cadair  
****Herondale **rules **Brocelind  
****Pangborn **rules **Skeifan  
****Blackthorn **rules **Heimar**

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**Angels and Demons**

_And as she opened the door to head inside, the younger of the boys caught her eye. She gasped sharply, and he grinned at her reaction. His eyes were golden, and his hair was sun bathed, curly, and long. He cocked his head to the side, and, without breaking their gaze, he winked one eye at her._

_She blushed, tripped over the entryway, and followed her confused and concerned mother inside of the house._

_As the door slammed shut behind her, Clary found herself grinning._

_Who was this boy? The boy with blond hair and golden eyes?_

_She hoped she would get the chance to find out._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

It had been two days, seven hours, and ... thirty-seven minutes since Clary had seen the golden-haired boy.

She sighed out loudly and swung her feet back and forth off the side of her bed. Dr. Magnus raised an eyebrow at her, his lips quirking into a smile.

"You're doing better since I last saw you. How do you feel?"

Clary thought for a second. "Bored. Valentine is keeping me in the house as of late... although that could be because a few nights ago I stayed out until well after bedtime. He was so mad, you should have seen it."

Dr. Magnus laughed. Clary joined him. Even though he was several years her senior - a whole 22 years old to Clary's 16 - he seemed much younger and open and happy than most people who surrounded her daily. His eccentricities aside, he was one of her favorite people. One of the reasons she didn't go crazy in this monitored, controlled, forced life.

"I meant medically." He laughed. "Dizzy? Sick? Tired?"

Clary thought for a moment and then shook her head. She had felt that way, for a while during the winter. But these past few weeks she felt better.

Magnus sighed, and tapped his head with his pencil. "You confuse me, Clary. Since you were a baby, you've gone through spells of dizziness, sickness, and I can't find a pattern or any form of label to stick on you besides 'weak ankled damsel in distress'."_  
_

Clary threw a pillow at him and they both laughed. "I am not weak," Clary told him decisively. "I don't know what's wrong with me, but at least I refuse to be bedridden and I never moan and complain like a lot of girls."

"True!" Magnus acquainted. "If there was any woman I'd turn straight for, it'd be you."

Clary grinned, but glanced around to make sure they were alone. Magnus felt comfortable with her, and had revealed one day that he did not find women attractive, and instead found men appealing. She didn't care - who cared what equipment the person you loved had? - but a lot of people, like her father, cared a lot. "Don't say that so loudly," she hissed.

Magnus rolled his eyes and sat heavily on her bed. "I wish I could scream it off of the cliffs. I hate that I have to hide. Already my mother is asking when I'm going to find me a girl and settle down, and oh, how I would love to tell her the truth." He cleared his throat, his smile returning as he imagined the conversation he'd have with his overbearing mother. "Mom, I will never settle down with a girl because I've decided I like penises an awful lot."

Clary blushed and coughed, and then finally settled on laughing. You could always count on Magnus's bluntness and open honesty - he was more open than anyone her age.

"How about you, Clary? Any dashing men I should know about, as your doctor?"

Clary bumped his shoulder with her own and then shrugged. "Valentine wants me betrothed to prince of the Herondale manor named ... oh, God, what was he named? Jim? John? OH! Johnathan Herondale. Anyway, I basically told him to stuff it."

"I rescind my earlier statement. You, Clary already have enough balls to be considered enough of a man for me. We should elope immediately and have red-headed, flaming gay children."

Clary laughed, rich and deep, and it was while she was wiping tears from her eyes that her father walked into the room. Magnus straightened up immediately, hopping from the bed to stand beside Clary. He hastily began packing his things into his medical bag as Valentine raised an eyebrow.

"How is my daughter today, then, Dr. Bane?"

Magnus turned to face him, his eyes shifting quickly between the king and the young, dark-haired man at his side. It took him several moments to speak, for in those short seconds, his gaze locked with that of the boy by Valentine's side. Probably not yet eighteen, shorter than Valentine but about as tall as Magnus himself. Shocking blue eyes, stocky - muscled, must do a lot of manual labor - and a hard, firm gaze that held his own.

"Ahhhh... yes, well. Um." Magnus cleared throat as the dark-haired boy's lips quirked up in a tiny smile. His hands were clasped together behind his back and he didn't move. "Hi. My name is Dr. Magnus Bane. And you are?"

Before the boy could speak, Valentine cut in. "This is Alec. He is my new ... helper. As such, you can consider him under your care as long as he is my servant. Now, my question remains unanswered."

"Of course. Clary seems to be in perfect health, once again. I still have no explanation as to why she occasionally has these bouts of sickness. But she has recovered once again and I wouldn't worry until it returns again." Magnus's eyes flickered back to the boy - Alec - and he grinned, his eyes darkening. "As for you, hopefully we'll see you in my office soon."

With that, Magnus exited the room with a flourish and Clary was left as the only interesting object in the room. Two sets of eyes automatically turned to hers. Valentine walked to her bedside and placed a hand on her shoulder. His eyes met hers and his lips turned up in a smile that didn't reach his dark, controlled eyes.

"I'm so happy you're feeling better, my daughter. Pity you're not stronger, like Sebastian. I've never seen that boy sick!" and with a laugh, Valentine clasped his hands together and walked back to Alec. "We will see you at dinner, sweetheart. Alec and Jace will be joining us."

Clary's heart sped as her father and Alec exited the room.

_Jace._

That had to be the name of the golden-haired boy. And they're going to have dinner with her family, the Morgensterns? No slave, servant, butler, cook... no one had ever been permitted to eat at the table of the queen and king before!

Clary hastily jumped up from bed and threw on a sweater over her dress before running from her room.

She had some investigating to do before dinner.

...

...

...

Isabelle was one of the housekeepers, and also somewhat of a personal maid to Clary. She helped her do her hair and get dressed on special occasions. She often commented to Clary that she wouldn't know what fashion was if it bit her in the ass. Isabelle was cool like that, and Clary loved her for it. Everyone else was always all "Ma'am this, and princess that" and it grated on Clary's nerves. But Isabelle, from day one, had let Clary know that she wasn't taking shit from anyone, even the princess. Valentine tolerated her because she was the closest thing to a sister that Clary had and, as Jocelyn had argued, Clary needed that in someone.

"So..." Clary began, wiggling in her chair and staring at the steam rising from the pots in the kitchen. Isabelle sat across from her, munching on pieces of chicken her mother had given her. "Any new gossip going around about these two new boys? Valentine's new helpers?"

Isabelle's eyes sparkled and she nodded happily. "You know how I told you I have a brother?" she asked, her body practically vibrating as she stood from her chair and clapped her hands together.

"Yeeeeeeah?" Clary drug the word out, not sure what Izzy question had to do with their current conversation.

"He's here!" Isabelle screeched, jumping up and down. "Alec! Master Valentine bought him this week, from the Blackthorns. Alec was working in a stable there, and apparently when Master Valentine visited, he saw my brother and decided that he just _had_ to have him. Hopefully not in a creepy way, but forget I said that, because that was disrespectful. I guess Alec is helping Master Valentine with his work in the basements? I don't know the details, I only got to see Alec for a few seconds this afternoon. But I'm so excited!"

She continued to squeal loudly and hop about the room. Her mother, Maryse, laughed softly from her place by the stove. "Almost all of us are together now," she said, and there was that faraway look in here eyes that let Clary know she was thinking about her husband and other son, Max. Though they'd known Alec was working for the Blackthorns, they had no idea where the other two members of their family were. It shocked Clary that they could live this way - not that they had many choices. It was one of the many things that boiled her blood at the dinner table, when Valentine would talk so carelessly of tearing families apart and of buying new servants. He didn't even get to know his people - he probably had no idea Alec was related to his kitchen help or his daughter's maid.

"Hey, quit frowning," Izzy piped up. "You've got that look on your face, like you're _thinking _again."

"Right," Clary said, straightening up in her chair and clearing her throat. "So anyway. About Alec and Jace, I guess his name is. Any new dirt on them, or what they're doing?"

Izzy shrugged. "Not much, why do you ask?"

"Because Valentine said that they would be joining us for dinner tonight. That's just... well, it's unheard of! And I'm curious about what they're getting up to that they're joining us for dinner and following him around the house."

"Well," Izzy started, sitting back down and offering Clary some chicken and grapes. "All Alec said was that Master Valentine said he needed two new helpers, something about experiments, and that they would probably be here permanently."

"Experiments?" Clary echoed. "I hope they're not doing anything dangerous. Valentine almost blew up the basements once."

Izzy chuckled. "Yeah, well even if they are, Alec has always enjoyed all of that science-y stuff."

"What about the other boy? Jace? Do you know anything about him?"

Isabelle shrugged again. "No, nothing."

"Hmm."

The kitchen fell silent, and Clary and Isabelle munched their snacks in a companionable silence.

"Hmm, indeed," Izzy said, her voice airy. "I guess it's a mystery."

...

...

...

As it turned out, Clary didn't have to wait until dinner to see the blond-haired, golden-eyed boy again. He showed up just after her gossip meeting with Isabelle. He was outside in the stables, gathering Valentine's horse - a task that Valentine didn't often trust to anyone but the head stable boy.

Clary slowed her determined walk until she was slowly shuffling along. Her eyes raked over his body quickly, gathering what information she could about him as quickly as she could. Tall. Lanky, but muscular. Scars on his arms (beatings from a previous owner? Childhood injuries? Family?). His skin was sun-warmed and almost the same golden color as his eyes. His movements were quick and sure, and his clothing was all black. He didn't hum or whistle as he worked, instead he seemed to be completely focused on the task at hand. In fact, when Clary got close enough for him to see her out of the corner of her eye, he flinched almost imperceptibly and gave her a curt bow.

"Princess Clary," he said, his voice like honey and his words soft yet delivered in a way that showed he was unafraid and unaffected to be standing in front of the princess.

"Jace," she said, trying out the name on her tongue. She noticed, as she said his name, that something flashed in his eyes - surprise?

"That's me. I'd say I'm honored to meet you, but I have yet to meet a princess who deserved my honor."

Clary laughed, and this was clearly not the reaction Jace was expecting. He smirked, cocking his head to the side as he tried to catch her eye.

"I..." Clary tried to speak, but her laughter was too much. She was doubled over, both hands on her stomach. She raised one hand, motioning him to wait as she put the other over her lips to stifle her laughter. "Oh, God. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It's just..." she broke off, giggling again.

Jace shrugged. "Whatever turns you on, I suppose."

Finally able to get herself under control, Clary stuck out her hand, clearly expecting Jace to shake it. "Clary Morgenstern, resigned princess, artist, and best friend of a gay doctor." Jace hardly seemed the type to care - or share - about her doctor's sexuality.

Jace's lips quirked into a smile.

"Jace No-Last-Name. I have no last name because my parents died before they could share with me what it was. Resigned servant, but beware, I have a tendency to show my distaste in the most interesting ways. And don't bother trying to proposition me, princesses have tried in the past and you lot are honestly not worth all the hype."

Clary shook his hand. He had long, slim fingers and a warm, firm grip.

"Good to meet you. I think," she added, their handshake continuing even though it had long past the acceptable handshake time limit.

"You as well, princess," he said. She liked the way he said 'princess'. Not as if it was something to be worshiped and revered, but as a slightly mocking pet name.

"JACE!"

The ringing voice of Clary's father cut through the surreal atmosphere that surrounded the two teenagers, and Jace dropped her hand as if he hadn't realized he was still holding it.

"Well. That's my cue." He grinned, and acted as though he was tipping his hat to her though he was not wearing one. "Hope to see you around, princess."

Before Clary could respond, he had run off, his hands clasping the reigns of Valentine's horse. So instead, she grinned at his retreating figure.

_I hope so, too_.

* * *

I have decided that, because I didn't realize how much it meant to me when someone reviews, that I will be returning the favor and offering a next-chapter preview for anyone who takes the time to review. =) Thanks to **goldenhairedangel** and **TheLionFellInLoveWithTheLamb01** for reviewing on the prologue - they both received a preview of this chapter earlier today.

**Please review!**


	3. Ch 3 - The Mystery

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

**Previously**...

_"Good to meet you. I think," she added, their handshake continuing even though it had long past the acceptable handshake time limit._

_"You as well, princess," he said. She liked the way he said 'princess'. Not as if it was something to be worshiped and revered, but as a slightly mocking pet name._

_"JACE!"_

_The ringing voice of Clary's father cut through the surreal atmosphere that surrounded the two teenagers, and Jace dropped her hand as if he hadn't realized he was still holding it._

_"Well. That's my cue." He grinned, and acted as though he was tipping his hat to her though he was not wearing one. "Hope to see you around, princess."_

_Before Clary could respond, he had run off, his hands clasping the reigns of Valentine's horse. So instead, she grinned at his retreating figure._

_I hope so, too._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"A... L ... O ... Q, no! P!"

Clary was downstairs in the kitchens with Isabelle, working on her letters with her. Clary's messy handwriting covered both sides of the parchment where she had carefully, lovingly drawn out the letters of the alphabet. She had made these alphabet cards for Isabelle years ago, with carefully cut pieces of her painting paper. She had created the cards over time, so no one noticed her precious, expensive parchment missing. Ever since, Isabelle and Clary would try to steal time away from Izzy's work and Clary's duties to practice.

"Good! It's just P and Q we're working on, and only in the smaller letters," Clary beamed. She was proud of Isabelle - when she had learned her letters and how to sound them out, it had taken longer and involved more tutors and nannies in tears.

Izzy grinned. "Am I really doing well? I can recognize them and say what they sound like, but I look at a book or a recipe and it still seems like an... an alien language, or something. I can't actually _read_ anything."

"When _I _learned," Maryse broke in, passing each girl a spoon filled with the rich, creamy soup whose scent filled the room, "It took me three years. I'm still learning to read those recipes - often, Anna must read them to me."

Anna, the head cook, offered them a small smile as she acknowledge that they were speaking of her, and went right back to what she was doing.

"Learning to read takes a long time," Clary explained. "I learned my letters first - both big letters and then small - and then I learned the sounds. It took me year 1 and year 2 of my lessons to lean that. Then we worked on putting the sounds together and learning what new sounds they could make... Izzy, for working a year and a half in stolen minutes while you do my hair or while you're having lunch, you're doing well. I'm so excited that you know all the sounds now, because I can show you some of my early readers. My tutors gave them to me when I was seven - they're the first things I ever read!"

Izzy squealed in excitement, and then polished off the rest of her lunch, which consisted of soup much more watery than what her mother had let them sample minutes ago and bread.

"Ok. So I still have a few minutes before Master Jocelyn said she wanted my help. Can I see them now? Oh, can I please?"

Clary grinned as well, nodding as she helped Izzy take her dirty dishes and drop them in the sink. "Sure you can."

Both girls quickly left the kitchen, slipping across the freshly polished floor as they made their way to the staircase. As Clary's toes hit the bottom of the first step, she heard a scoff of disapproval from behind her. Her head whipped around at the same time as Isabelle's, but their reactions were completely different.

Valentine stood in the hallway, arms crossed over his chest. On one side was Alec, and on his other was Jace. Both were carrying bags, though Clary could not see what was inside of them.

"Clarissa," Valenitne greeted. "Your servant, where are the two of you headed?"

"Sir," Isabelle cut in, her eyes down though a grin was still playing on her lips from the sight of her brother. "Master Jocelyn has asked for my assistance in choosing a dress for the event tonight."

Valentine's pale lips turned up in a smile. "Ah, yes. Jocelyn and I are having dinner with the Waylands tonight," he said, offering this explanation to the boys. "I will not need your assistance. I would request you use the time to get to know the grounds - I may from time to time ask you to run errands for me."

Alec offered a quick, "Yes, sir," and Jace nodded, curtly, and Clary could see that he was clasping his hands rather tightly behind his back. He was biting his lip, almost as though he wanted to say something but was holding himself back. Both boys looked ... not quite angry, but something close. Clary stared at Jace, wondering, until her father broke into her thoughts once more.

"Come, then," Valentine said, beckoning them forward with a flourish of his arm. "I, too, require assistance in preparing for tonight. Jace, prepare my horse. Alec, come with me."

The men dispersed as Clary and Isabelle bolted up the stairs, their bare feet smacking hard on the wooden steps.

"What was _that_ about?" Isabelle asked quietly, as they slowed down on the landing of the second floor. "Alec is never that quiet or subdued."

"Jace looked really angry," Clary added, opening her door for Isabelle and showing her to the small bookshelf in the corner of her room. "Maybe they were arguing about something?"

"No," Isabelle said slowly. "No one argues with your father without ..." she paused, and then continued, her eyes not meeting Clary's. "Without receiving punishment." Clary nodded, well aware of her father's strict rules. Isabelle continued, "It looked more as if they were unhappy with something they were doing."

"Well, maybe I'll ask Jace about it later," Clary offered, rifling through her books and finally finding a small, blue booklet. She handed it to Isabelle. "I know you have to help my mom get ready and after they leave you're busy, but I could maybe find Jace out in the courtyard or on the grounds - they were ordered to explore the grounds tonight."

"Good idea!" Isabelle said, taking the book from her and flipping through the pages. "Gosh, I feel a bit like we're detectives, trying to uncover a secret."

Clary giggled, flopping down on her bed as Isabelle mouthed different sounds, trying to find the ones that fit with the letters on the page. "Yeah," she agreed. "We should have code names and everything. We'll crack the mystery of the secret work my father does in the basements, and maybe we can even figure out why he needs the help of two teenagers."

"It'll be an adventure," Izzy added, her eyes sparkling as she stood up and dusted off her skirts. "I'll meet you here tomorrow morning to see what you figure out from Jace. Oh, and can I keep this with me?" she asked, waving the early reader around in her hand.

Clary nodded, and watched as Izzy retreated from her room.

A mystery, indeed.

...

...

...

"I don't like it," Jace fumed, crossing his arms over his chest as Valentine's carriage disappeared over the horizon. "What we're doing."

"You don't have to like it," Alec snapped, running a hand over his tired eyes. "We do what we're told to do, when we're told to do it."

"I just... I feel like this could be dangerous."

Alec scoffed as the two boys turned back toward the house. "And since when have you been afraid of danger?"

Jace shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets and kicking a stray rock in the driveway. "Yeah, I like danger. But this is different. This is... this is creating dangerous things, and not knowing when and if Valentine is going to blow a gasket and use them on _people_."

Alec almost reproached Jace for speaking out against their master, but he couldn't find the energy. Earlier that day, Valentine had taken them aside and finally told them what their purpose was at the manor. It seemed as if they would each be in charge of helping Valentine with a different experiment - an experiment that had scarcely any details.

"I just... " Jace continued, throwing open the manor door. "It seems a little crazy to me. He was howling on about angels and demons and talking about how he wanted to recreate them. _Create_ them, Alec. He seems unstable and dangerous, and there are far too many innocent people in this manor who could be caught in the cross-fire of his psychotic plans that it gives me the chills."

Alec nodded, his brows furrowed together as they headed toward the kitchen. "I know. I ... he's definitely the craziest of the crazies we've been forced to work for. But he feeds us, clothes us, and I haven't been subjected to a single punishment so far. So I'm hesitant to write this place off as all bad."

"Well," Jace huffed, dropping his tall frame into a small chair. Alec didn't sit, instead opting to walk over to the stove and give his mother a hug and a smile. "I didn't say it was _all_ bad." _In fact, there are many positives about being here, and the food doesn't have so much to do with it as the fiery haired princess_.

Alec walked back over to him, handing him half a piece of the bread his mother had shared. "Hey," he whispered, nodding toward the women who surrounded the pots, pans, and table settings. "We probably shouldn't talk in here. Valentine said that if anyone found out... "

Jace nodded, tearing off a large piece of his bread as he stood again. "Well, I for one am going to do as _Master_ Valentine suggested," he said, making sure to add a mocking emphasis to the word _master_, "And explore the grounds."

"I'm going to get some rest," Alec mumbled, once again rubbing his tired eyes. "I don't know what's come over me, but I'm bushed."

"Huh," was all that Jace responded. _He_ felt fine. He felt more than fine. He felt like he'd slept more and better than he'd ever slept before and he wanted very much to explore. _And maybe run into the princess again_, a smaller part of his brain suggested. He mentally slapped that part of his brain, reminding himself that princesses were rarely worth the effort - especially if their manic father, with whom you worked very closely, found out.

Jace scoffed to himself as he exited the manor. Right. Angels and demons. And if Valentine ever caught him fooling around with his daughter, he'd be the first human experiment.

...

...

...

Dr. Bane smiled as he turned toward the squalling child. The little boy was holding his arm tightly, tears running down his cheeks as his mother fretted. "Watch this," Magnus said, winking at the boy. He reached into his multi-colored lab coat and pulled out an arrangement of plastic flowers. The boy, shocked and amazed at the impromptu magic show, squealed happily, his sore, broken arm forgotten.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

Magnus laughed. "If I do it again, you might find out my secret. But... wait! What is this?" As he held the boy's arm gently in his hand and fingered the part of the bone that was needing to be reset, he reached his other hand behind the boy's ear, digging through his hair. "HMMM!" he said loudly, tickling the boy's head as he slipped the bone back in line with the other broken half. The child hiccupped in pain, a squeak of surprise and pain leaving his lips, but Magnus was quick to distract him. "Ah ha! Look what I found!"

The boy's arm reset, Magnus now reached for a roll of plaster as he showed the boy the shiny, silver coin he'd pulled from behind the boy's ear.

"Wow..." he whispered reverently, his bright blue eyes moving up to meet Magnus's. "Are you a Wizard?"

Magnus laughed deeply. "A Warlock, but shhhh... don't tell mom."

As the boy laughed, Magnus winked at the mother. "All right! Just let me wrap your arm and you're good to go. And just imagine, Jacob, you can brag to all the other boys about how brave you were. Jumping off of the barn! Now, I suggest you don't try it again, but you have war wounds. Real wounds because you-" he tweaked the boy's nose gently "-were the bravest."

As Magnus spoke, Jacob's chest swelled with pride. He was grinning now, his tears drying. "I am brave, aren't I?"

Jacob's mother rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling, playing with the edge of her dress.

"Um... Dr. Bane?"

"Yeah?" He turned toward her, not really meeting her eyes as he went through the motions of putting the plaster on, wetting it, and wrapping it tightly. He patted it and shaped it and made sure it wasn't too tight.

"Since... well, since Jacob's father." She paused. "He passed on last year. And I can't afford to pay you all at once. Obviously, we didn't plan..."

Magnus cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Pay me a regular visit fee and we'll call it even."

Jacob's mother nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. She smiled, and breathed out shakily. "Good, good. I can do that. Thank you, Dr. Bane."

"Well, you're most welcome."

He was finishing Jacob's wrappings as his nurse poked her head through the door. "Dr. Bane? There's a young man here to see you when you finish."

"Thank you, Emma. We're almost done here." Turning his attention back to Jacob's mother, he continued, "Now, the plaster will take a while to dry. Make sure Jacob doesn't touch it or play with it for at least a couple of hours. Give him a toy or a book and have him sit until it's solid. I'd prefer overnight, but I understand boys." He winked at Jacob. "If there's any problems, discomfort, or pain, come back. Also try your very best to keep it dry when bathing."

His mother nodded, taking his free hand. Jacob had a very serious look on his face as he held his arm out in front of him, not touching his clothing. He was paying so much attention to where he was going that he almost tripped on the doorway. _Oh, we'll see him again, that's for sure. Boys_.

"Dr. Bane?"

The voice was deep, yet soft and timid. Magnus had never heard it before, but it sent shivers - the good kind - down his spine. He turned around in his chair, turning on his faucet and washing his hands. He paused, the soap clutched between his fingers, when he saw the face that the voice belonged to. The young man's cheeks were tinged with pink, and his eyes seemed to take in every part of the room as he walked in, unsure.

"Alec?" Magnus asked, a smile breaking out on his face. "Hello."

"Um, your nurse showed me in here. I-I'm not sure if I'm supposed to have come here, Master Valentine isn't here for me to ask if it's OK, and I don't want to get in trouble, so - "

Magnus cut him off. "Alec. When I said I hoped to see you soon, I didn't imagine it would be this soon." His heart was hammering, and his fingers shaking almost imperceptibly as he finished washing and then drying his hands. "And don't worry - all of Valentine's ... help, they are free to come see me when they need to. Valentine pays me a good fee for my services." He smiled. "What seems to be the problem?"

Alec breathed in deeply, let out his breath shakily, and dropped down into the chair by the door. "I just feel... off. Tired. Dizzy? I don't know. Maybe... I haven't been sleeping well. That could be it. I'm not sure why I'm here." He made a move to get up, but Magnus stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"If it's really lack of sleep, I can give you something to help. We can try that first. If you keep feeling this way... " He paused, sudden realization hitting him between the eyes. Wait... these were... the same symptoms as Clary? Huh. "Well, if this persists, come back and see me. For today, let's go find something to help you sleep."

Alec smiled at him, nodding and standing from his chair. As he stood, he faltered a little and Magnus offered a hand to steady him. "OK?"

Alec nodded. "I'm OK. Thanks."

Magnus nodded, and then led him to a second room filled floor to ceiling with herbal potions, leaves, plants and more modern medicines. The room smelled wonderful - a mix of herbal, medicinal, and floral all at the same time. It was a good smell, and Alec found himself breathing in deeply to take it all in.

"To sleep, to sleep, to sleep ... ah. Here we are." Magnus reached into a shelf filled small vials filled with crushed leaves. "These are wonderful. If you brew them much like your do tea and drink a cup before bed, they'll help you sleep like a baby. Some have also said that they discourage nightmares as well."

He passed the vial to Alec, their hands brushing as he did so. Alec gasped at the warm touch, his cheeks turning pink again as he clasped the vial in his hands, and Magnus smiled warmly at him. "I do hope you feel better soon, Alec. And I'm sorry that your first few days here have been ... rougher than we would like. Master Valentine is harsh - his law is hard, but it is the law - but he's good to his servants. It's a good thing you're here now, I'm sure of it. I'm glad, at the very least, that you're here."

Alec nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Thank you, Dr. Bane."

"Please, call me Magnus."

"OK. Thank you, Magnus."

"You're welcome. I hope that next time I see you, it won't be under these circumstances. And I would _very much_ like to see you again."

Alec smiled, less unsure than before. The way he smiled - his lips turning up and his eyes crinkling at the edge as they sparkled - made Magnus warm all over. _I want him to smile like that all the time_, he thought, and then he thought about how that was a dangerous thought have about one of Valentine's servants.

But then Alec said, "I would very much like that as well," and _oh, shit, am I in deep, was _Magnus's single thought.

But instead of saying anything, Magnus led Alec to the door and watched him walk down the cobblestone driveway and head back toward the Morgenstern manor.

He grinned to himself, and thought about what he would say to Clary the next time he saw her - but wait. That was a very girly thing to do. So Magnus wiped the ridiculous grin from his face and headed back inside where patients were waiting to see him, determined to be focused the rest of the day.

_But who am I kidding?_ he thought, leading a girl with a cough into his room. _I won't be focused until I can see Alec again._

Oh, he had it bad.

* * *

Woop woop! Chapter 3 finished! I LOVE me some Malec. I have dropped so, so, so many hints in this chapter and in the last. Go ahead, see if you can guess some of the plot twists coming your way! I'd be excited if someone actually did guess, though I can't say for sure if I'd confirm or deny your guesses. ;)

Also, I noticed that three of the people who review last chapter were signed in as a guest - so I couldn't send them a chapter preview, as much as I really, really wanted to! Thank you **Jling**, **OliviaWatt7**, **Guest**, **greygirl2358**, **TwinkleStar35**, and **AnnaW14** for reviewing last chapter!

Remember, **Please Review **and I will send you an extended **PREVIEW of CHAPTER 4! :)**


	4. Ch 4 - The Shadowhunters

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_"You're welcome. I hope that next time I see you, it won't be under these circumstances. And I would very much like to see you again."_

_Alec smiled, less unsure than before. The way he smiled - his lips turning up and his eyes crinkling at the edge as they sparkled - made Magnus warm all over. I want him to smile like that all the time, he thought, and then he thought about how that was a dangerous thought have about one of Valentine's servants._

_But then Alec said, "I would very much like that as well," and oh, shit, am I in deep, was Magnus's single thought._

_But instead of saying anything, Magnus led Alec to the door and watched him walk down the cobblestone driveway and head back toward the Morgenstern manor._

_He grinned to himself, and thought about what he would say to Clary the next time he saw her - but wait. That was a very girly thing to do. So Magnus wiped the ridiculous grin from his face and headed back inside where patients were waiting to see him, determined to be focused the rest of the day._

_But who am I kidding? he thought, leading a girl with a cough into his room. I won't be focused until I can see Alec again._

_Oh, he had it bad._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Jace kicked rocks, whipped tree branches, and ran his hand along the fence posts as he walked. It was a nice day - the wind was blowing and it was not too cold and not too hot. The brief reprieve from the cold before summer set in. The leaves in the trees were whistling a tune all their own as the wind tossed them this way and that. It was peaceful - something Jace had missed, working for the Blackthorns.

_But,_ he thought grimly, _was working for Valentine going to be any better?_

The man was off his rocker.

_"The blood of an angel mixed with that of a human. Imagine the power! Likewise, imagine the blood of a demon, injected directly into a humans blood. Would that person be more powerful? More evil? No one knows, because no one has dared try! Well, I am going to be that person!" At this point, Valentine was sweating, his white hair mused as he continually ran his hands through it. "I'm talking about experimentation - "_

_"On humans?!" Alec was the one who spoke, his incredulity and disbelief about the whole affair making him temporarily forget who he was speaking to. As soon as he realized his mistake, he clamped his lips shut and winced, preparing for the blow that normally followed after you talked back to your master._

_"Not on humans, no... no, not right away," Valentine said, shaking his head though his eyes were still wild - he didn't seem to realize what Alec had done. "I'm talking about experimenting with the blood first. I have it - demon blood and angel blood. As fresh as is possible. I am a Shadowhunter, after all, and one of the most powerful," he said, as if willing Jace and Alec to believe his delusions._

Shadowhunter? Jace wondered, kicking a stick out of his path as he continued walking through the meadow. He'd heard myths, stories, legends. Everyone had. But they were just stories, right? He'd heard the stories so many times he was no longer an impartial judge, he could no longer decide if they were rubbish or if they were believable. They were just bedtime fairy tales, told to him by the family who had raised him.

"Shadowhunters," he said aloud, trying the word out on his tongue. It felt heavy, wrong, and... and a bit familiar, too.

"Shadowhunters?" a happy voice piped up. Jace jumped a little, his hands pulling from his pockets as he whirled around to see Clary, fiery red hair flowing out behind her, perched in the lowest branch of a tree he had just passed. She smiled at him, swinging her legs back and forth, almost as if she didn't realize that climbing trees and letting male servants see up your dresses wasn't a serious concern. "What's a Shadowhunter?"

"Well," Jace began, putting his hands back in his pockets as he walked over and leaned against the tree Clary was in. "That depends on why you want to know."

"Hmmm," she thought, and she scooted over on the branch and patted the spot beside her, willing him to join her in the tree. "Well, I was going to ask you why you and Alec seemed to angry earlier, but this seems like a much more interesting story."

"Mm," agreed Jace, grabbing the branch and using his arms to swing his legs into the tree. Once he had pulled his whole body onto the branch and settled down beside Clary, he turned to her and gave her one of his lopsided smiles. "It's a fairytale my adoptive parents used to tell me, before I'd fall asleep. Some people believe it's true," he said, his voice lower, more mysterious as he bumped her shoulder with his. She bumped him right back, but didn't say anything, willing him with her curious eyes to continue. "Once upon a time," he began, "because all stories have to start with once upon a time. There was a man named Johnathan Shadowhunter. He summoned an Angel from heaven, the angel Raziel. He told the angel that demons were beginning to enter our world - they had found it, tucked neatly between all the other worlds, and they were beginning to invade. He told the angel that he had thought of a way that we could fight them, without the angels having to intervene. He asked the angel Raziel to pour some of his blood into a cup, and to let us ordinary humans drink from the cup. This would create a new race of humans called Shadowhunters, who could bear the marks of the angel on their skin - marks to make us faster, quieter, stronger - without being hurt by them. Normal humans can't bear the marks after all - they would make us go insane. These Shadowhunters would make it their life's goal to fight the demons and keep the rest of the world safe."

Jace paused, and Clary stared at him with wide eyes - she was completely enthralled. He chuckled, ran a hand through his hair, and continued.

"So the angel did. He cut his hand and poured his blood into the cup. Johnathan Shadowhunter gave it to his followers - six families. The Morgensterns, the Waylands, the Blackthorns, the Fairchilds, the Pangborns, and the Herondales."

"The six ruling families," Clary cut in.

"Yes, now quit interrupting my story," Jace chided. "He gave the blood of the angel to these families and then he gave them each a region to rule - a region to protect. Anyone born of these families would be Shadowhunters as well, born to fight the demons entering our world. To this day, the Shadowhunters train, receive the marks of the angel, and destroy demons who threaten our peace. A silent war noticed only by those whose loved ones never return home."

Clary stared at him, wide-eyed and entranced.

"Or so they say," Jace finished, laughing at Clary's expression. "I've never seen a Shadowhunter or a demon - or an angel, for that matter - and I've worked for three of the ruling families."

"I'm not a Shadowhunter," Clary blurted out, her face going pink once she realized what she had said. "I just mean, of course the story can't be true, because I _am_ part of the ruling family and I've never even heard this story. Besides, no one in my family has marks, or-or scars, or even any weapons!"

Jace laughed deeply, his chest rumbling as he held onto the branch for support. "Oh, God, Clary, you took that _way_ too seriously! Of course it's not true. We would know if our world were being invaded by demons!"

Clary nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced.

"You're actually thinking it over, wondering if it could be true!" Jace decided, nodding as if agreeing with himself as Clary turned pink and wouldn't meet his eye. He then grasped the branch he was sitting on in both hands and used it as leverage to swing his body down onto the ground. He landed gracefully - too gracefully, Clary noted with a pinch of jealousy - and stuffed his hands in his pockets carelessly as he turned around to face her again, squinting in the sunlight. "See you around!" he called after her, smirking as he walked backward.

Clary stared after him, forgetting to respond until he was already disappearing over the next hill.

_Shadowhunters_, she mused, wondering why this word sounded familiar to her. _Demons, Raziel, Shadowhunters_.

She wasn't, she decided, doing a very good job of investigating Valentine and the ongoing projects in the basements.

...

...

...

"Mom?"

It was late, the sun having set hours ago. Clary should have been asleep for a while by now, so Jocelyn was surprised to hear her daughter's voice. She smiled indulgently, turning to greet her daughter as she pulled an earring from her left ear. She was pulling her hair from the elegant bun Isabelle had put in it as Clary walked into the room and stopped in the middle of the floor.

"What is it, dear?" she asked gently, noticing the way Clary seemed hesitant about even her presence in her mother's room. She finally came and sat on her mother's bed, playing with her hands and considering her question carefully.

"Earlier today, I ran into Jace - you know, one of father's new helpers?" Jocelyn nodded - yes, she did know. Although she couldn't claim to be happy about the fact that Clary had already met the boys her husband was working with. "We were talking, and he told me a story. It was a story that his mom and dad - I guess they were his mom and dad, they raised him at least - used to tell him at bedtime. And it... I don't know, it sounded kind of like something I'd heard before? I was wondering if you had ever told me this story."

"Hmm," Jocelyn pondered this for a moment, sitting heavily down beside her daughter and wrapping a hand around her shoulder. "What was the story about? I did used to tell you stories a lot when you were young. Haven't had as much time for that lately as I would like," she added wistfully.

"It was about... it was a legend, about how the six ruling families started and how the regions were split up. Jace said it had to do with a man named Johnathan Shadowhunter, and about how he summoned an angel, and," she paused, taking a breath in. "Does any of this sound familiar? I know I've heard the story somewhere - it's been bothering me all night. Was it you who told me?"

Jocelyn tensed all over - her whole body turned to stone. She forced herself to relax, looking away for a split second to control her face.

_Is it time again? Already? It's too early for her to be remembering..._

"Of course!" she said, forcing a smile on her lips as she willed her hand to relax on Clary's shoulder. "I remember that story. It was one my father told me when I was a child. A legend he thought was amusing."

"Oh," was Clary's response. She looked deflated - like she was half hoping the stories would be true. "Okay then. Thanks for telling me, it's been weighing on my mind all night."

Jocelyn's smile was less strained this time with the knowledge that she had placated her daughter for the time being. "Of course. Now, run along to bed. Tomorrow is a big day - your father has invited the Herondale family over for lunch tomorrow. I think he wants you to spend some time talking with Johnathan." Distracting her daughter was easy enough, and especially effective when she dropped a well-timed wink with Johnathan's name. Clary pretend-gagged, and then grinned as she hopped up from her mother's bed.

"Good night then, mother," she said, giving her mom a hug. Jocelyn returned it, sighing out a breath of warm air into Clary's hair. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, dear," she whispered, offering a small wave as Clary bounced from the room.

_Too soon_, she thought, her smile slipping. _Magnus will have to be called ahead of schedule. How soon will I have to tell her?_

It was with these heavy thoughts that Jocelyn retired to bed.

...

...

...

Clary dreamed that night of demons - huge, towering creatures with tentacles, claws, and sharp teeth - and Shadowhunters. The Shadowhunters in her dreams were men and women of different ages, all dressed in black and carrying blades that looked almost transparent. They had pictures drawn on their skin in black ink - swirls and circles and intricate patterns that faded and turned into thin, white scars.

When she woke up, it was not as though she had experienced a nightmare, but almost as if her unconscious mind had filled in the details that had remained unclear from Jace's story.

Shadowhunters. It didn't seem like such a crazy idea anymore. It just seemed... reality.

Clary shook her head to rid herself of these ridiculous thoughts before hopping out of bed. Isabelle was there, ready to help her change for the day.

Ugh. The Herondales were visiting.

Izzy saw the look on her face and laughed as she came toward Clary, baring a hairbrush in one hand and a dress in the other. "Are you dreading today?"

"I can't even tell you how much. I mean, Johnathan is a gentleman and all, but my father seems to be quite determined to make me agree to the engagement! Even though Johnathan hasn't even proposed yet - who knows, maybe he thinks I'm a hairy troll and will never want to marry me. That would be just fine with me."

"Sit," Izzy commanded, grinning from Clary's comment. "And tell me all about what you discovered during your investigation last night. What's going on with Valentine's new servants, what are they doing with him in the basements, and why did they all look so upset last night?"

Clary's eyes widened. She had discovered nothing, so distracted by stories of demons and Shadowhunters she had been. Izzy noticed her friend's expression and sighed. "You got distracted by Jace's beauty and got nothing out of him, didn't you? I would just ask Alec, but I didn't see him last night and I haven't seen anyone except Luke this morning."

Clary perked up at the mention of her butler. "Luke? How is he? I didn't see him yesterday because he had to make a trip into town."

"Luke was fine. He said hi and told me to say hello to you as well. I guess he's going to be there for lunch, helping serve the Herondales."

Clary nodded - Luke did this often. He was the silent presence in the room, helping hang coats, refilling drinks, filling in details of Valentine's more elaborate stories. He was a constant presence in their household, a comforting one.

"Apparently," Izzy continued, now dragging a brush through Clary's hair. "They traveled for two days - I didn't realize their region was so far away! That seems like a pretty serious trip to me. They must want something from your father." Izzy's eyes widened, meeting Clary's in the mirror. "_Maybe_ it has something to do with what Master Valentine is doing in the basements!"

Clary laughed, shaking her head as Izzy inserted the last bobby pin in her hair. "Maybe. More likely Valentine and Stephen Herondale have business to do and as a side note want to mention something about Johnathan and I getting engaged."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "No offence, Clary, but sometimes I'm glad I'm a servant and not a princess. I can't imagine having my future decided for me."

Clary decided not to comment on how Izzy's whole life was already decided for her - she would never be free. She could marry who she wanted, within reason, but her life and her children's lives would belong to her master. Her family could be split up at a moments notice much like Maryse and Robert and Max had been split apart. Instead of commenting, Clary stomped away from her vanity as Izzy helped her pull her nightgown over her head. She fumed, "I refuse to let my life be decided for me! I will marry who and when I want to! That is, _if_ I ever decide to get married. It seems to me that marriage is a joke."

Izzy looked at her curiously, holding the sleeves of Clary's emerald-green dress as Clary stepped into it. "How do you mean?"

"Well, look at my mom and dad," Clary said, shrugging the sleeves on. "My mom doesn't love my dad - she loves Luke, anyone with eyes can see that. But my father is still in love with her in a creepy, almost possessive way. I wish my mom could just leave Valentine already and be with Luke - they would be so happy together, even if they were to be common folk. Mom wouldn't care - she hates this life anyway."

Izza just nodded, a little sadly. She had only ever worked for the Morgensterns, but it was plain to see that the fairy tales whispered around the bed in mystic, magical voices when you were small were untrue - no one lived happily ever after, and love didn't last.

"Anyway," Clary continued, the sudden silence making her uncomfortable. Izzy yanked the strings on the back of Clary's dress and tied them tightly, making sure everything was secure and nothing would come undone. She then handed Clary a pair of tights and her shoes. "I hate the pretenses. And I hate the fact that Valentine is continuing to make me see Johnathan even when I have _clearly_ expressed my feelings toward him: _no way in hell_."

Izzy snorted in a very un-ladylike fashion and stepped away to admire Clary. Her flaming red hair contrasted nicely with the green dress. Ankle length and silky, it clung to Clary's body in an appealing way, but it didn't show off too much - it was still quite modest.

"Well," Isabelle said, spinning Clary in a circle to make sure she had missed nothing. "You have fun today. I'll sneak in later tonight to see how everything went. I'm going to see if I can find Alec at some point to do some more investigating." She waggled her eyebrows at Clary and the both giggled quietly.

"Thanks Izzy, and I'll make sure I improve my investigating skills and, what was it you said?"

"Not be distracted by Jace's beauty and charm?"

"Right. That."

"Although," Isabelle muttered, her eyes sparkling. "He _is_ quite attractive. I'd jump on that horse if I was ever given the chance."

Clary slapped Izzy's shoulder in astonishment and they were both reduced to a pile of giggles once more.

"Come on, just _try_ and tell me you wouldn't," Izzy prompted, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Clary's ear.

"Oh, hey look at the time!" Clary said, grinning as she successfully avoided the question.

Izzy rolled her eyes and pushed Clary out of the door.

...

...

...

Clary had never been involved in such an uncomfortable afternoon in her entire life. Jocelyn was sitting next to her on the couch, holding her glass as she slowly sipped wine. Valentine and Stephen were sitting on the opposite couch, in a heated discussion about politics and, occasionally about their children and their lack of interest in marriage. _Although_, Clary noted, one eyebrow raising as she lifted her own glass - full of grape juice - to her lips, _clearly they haven't been watching Johnathan very well, as I'm not sure his puppy dog look could be perfected any more_.

It was while she was having these uncomfortable thoughts that Luke lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, offering him a small smile. He just gave her a knowing look, and then rolled his eyes almost imperceptibly. Jocelyn snorted into her glass very quietly, and then struggled to turn her snort into a cough as Valentine gave her a curious look.

_Oh, God, how much longer? _Clary wondered. They had already eaten a tense lunch before Valentine had suggested that they take their conversations to the living room.

"So," Johnathan's mother, Celine, piped up. "Clary. How have lessons been going? I heard from Johnathan that you're taking horse-back riding along with your regular lessons this year."

Clary nodded, happy for the distraction. Celine was nice enough, if not a little young and ignorant to the world around her. "Yes, I am. I have always ridden, but Mother suggested I take lessons to improve my ability. I've also been spending a lot of time on my art - it's very important to me."

"Ah," Celine said, smiling. "An artist! How wonderful! Did you hear that, Johnathan? We'll have an artist in the family soon!"

Several things happened at once then. Clary's eyes bulged - did they think it was a given, that she would marry Johnathan? Had her father promised her to him without asking her permission? Valentine's conversation stopped suddenly, and a loud noise from the doorway made everyone turn and stare.

Jace, who had been walking through, had dropped his bag in surprise at Celine's words. His eyes flickered to Clary's, and there was emotion in them that she couldn't read.

Besides, she thought, staring after him as he grabbed up his bag and stalked quickly through the room without talking, what did it matter to him if she was to marry someone else? And why, she wondered as Stephen chided his wife for opening her mouth about something to sensitive, did it matter to Clary if Jace thought she was going to marry? Why did she care if he cared? It wasn't like she knew him - they'd only spoken twice!

_Because_, she thought, _maybe I _want_ to get to know him... and maybe he wants to get to know me, too_.

* * *

Dun dun dun... the Shadowhunter world enters this story. :)

I want to thank everyone for reviewing the last chapter! One or two of you pointed out a few small details I had overlooked and I'm trying hard to make sure I don't leak any extra information before it's supposed to come out. It's my first time writing a story with such a complex plot so I'm learning as I go. I've dropped more hints in this chapter and I would say Chapters 6-7 is where the shit really starts hitting the fan. Look forward to it! =)

**Please Review **... as always, you will receive an **extended sneak peak of Chapter 5**! I noticed that a few hundred people are viewing each chapter, and I would **love** to hear what you think! Ideas and suggestions are always super helpful to a beginning writer.


	5. Ch 5 - The Secret

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_"Ah," Celine said, smiling. "An artist! How wonderful! Did you hear that, Johnathan? We'll have an artist in the family soon!"_

_Several things happened at once then. Clary's eyes bulged - did they think it was a given, that she would marry Johnathan? Had her father promised her to him without asking her permission? Valentine's conversation stopped suddenly, and a loud noise from the doorway made everyone turn and stare._

_Jace, who had been walking through, had dropped his bag in surprise at Celine's words. His eyes flickered to Clary's, and there was emotion in them that she couldn't read._

_Besides, she thought, staring after him as he grabbed up his bag and stalked quickly through the room without talking, what did it matter to him if she was to marry someone else ? And why, she wondered as Stephen chided his wife for opening her mouth about something to sensitive, did it matter to Clary if Jace thought she was going to marry? Why did she care if he cared? It wasn't like she knew him - they'd only spoken twice!_

_Because, she thought, maybe I want to get to know him... and maybe he wants to get to know me, too._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"It's like he's already promised me to Johnathan!" Clary fumed, stalking around her room in circles. Every time she came near Isabelle, Izzy would try to reach out to help her take off her dress, but then she stalked away again, unaware of the offered help. "Celine said 'we're going to have an artist in the family soon!' and all that Stephen or Valentine said was basically 'shut up, you're giving away our plans'!"

Isabelle sighed, and dropped down onto Clary's bed, aware that Clary would be going on like this for a while and to not bother trying to help her undress yet. "Maybe they didn't mean it like that," she offered, not really believing it but trying to placate Clary. "Maybe they meant to tell her to not say things that weren't true - you know, so she wouldn't get Johnathan's hopes up."

Clary dropped down beside her, and Isabelle took the chance to reach for the ties on her dress before she could begin pacing again. "You know that's not true," Clary said, sighing in resignation.

Izzy did know this.

"Valentine doesn't say things like that unless he means it. After Stephen told Celine off for saying such private things, Valentine said _she wasn't supposed to know yet_. There is no arguing this point - he betrothed me to someone who I would never in a million years marry of my own free will!"

Angry though she was, Clary finally gave in and let Izzy help her out of the dress and back into her nightgown. It had been six hours since the disastrous afternoon and Clary had been stalking and fuming in her room the whole time, waiting for Izzy so she could tell her all about it and rant. "I'm just... God, I _hate_ that man! I hate my father, is that even normal or healthy?"

Izzy shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I barely know my father. So I neither love nor hate him. He just is. But your dad... Clary, he's scary and violent, and maybe a bit crazy, too. He does things that normal people wouldn't think of doing so that he can get something done or get something he wants. Marrying you into the Herondale family would just be another way to dig his hand into their pockets."

Clary nodded, knowing all of this was true. "You do know that I will throw a holy fit before I ever let that wedding happen," she said, hoping Izzy would back her up on this one. Isabelle laughed and nodded. "I do know that, yes, and I will help you plan your protests though it's probably not wise if I take part in them."

"Anyway," Clary said, sighing and pulling off her shoes. She threw them across the room, making a mental note to pick them up later so Izzy wouldn't have to. "Enough about my screwed-up situation. Did you ever find Alec?"

Izzy nodded, thinking back to her short conversation with her brother. "I did find him, and we spoke a bit, but he didn't give me any information. All he said was, 'You know I can't talk about that, Izzy', and I did know but I hoped to get _something_ from him. I guess it all rides on how much you can weasel out of Jace."

Clary winced, but was quick to recover herself. Though, not quick enough to escape Isabelle's trained eye. Isabelle sighed. "What did you do this time?"

_"I _didn't do anything," Clary defended herself, flopping over onto her stomach on the bed. Izzy lay beside her and propped her head on her hands, waiting for the rest of Clary's story. "He was there, when Celine said that. He was walking through the room, on his way to the basements, I guess, because he was holding a bag full of supplies. And when Celine said that bit about having an artist in the family, he dropped his bag in surprise and stared at me for a second. I dunno... he looked... confused? Hurt maybe? And my first thought was, 'what right does he have to look hurt?' It's not like I even really know him. And then... well, I thought..."

"Clary," Izzy cut in. "Jace is attractive and is attracted to you. End of story. He found you interesting and exciting in those few times you guys talked, and he wanted to get to know you, and suddenly he finds out you're basically engaged to the prince from another royal family, and now he's beating himself up over the fact that he ever even thought about you that way because _relationships between royalty and servants are not allowed_. Ever."

Clary didn't have a response. She just sighed, dropping her face into her pillow in an attempt to smother out the horrible day she'd had.

"I know all about it," Izzy piped up, and Clary was just interested enough to lift one eyeball away from the pillow to see her friend. "Remember that kid from the Wayland region?" Clary nodded, remembering vaguely the kid Izzy was talking about. "He isn't a Wayland, thank God, but he is like their royal servant and basically their adopted kid. I think they took a shine to him because their own baby was kidnapped two week after he was born. Aaaanyway," she continued, waving her hand as if to wave off the rabbit trail she'd been drawn into talking about. "When your father visited, and he took me along to watch after Jocelyn - and last night, I saw him again - I basically fell in love with him."

Clary was on her side, watching her best friend now, amused by the way her eyes were sparkling and how she fell dramatically back into the fluffy pillows lining Clary's bed as she talked about this boy.

"What was his name again?" Clary asked, her voice low and sleepy.

"Simon Lewis," Isabelle said dreamily. "He was such a gentleman. He is Michael Wayland's personal servant, like Alec and Jace are to Master Valentine. And he saw me when Master Jocelyn and Master Wayland were talking, and though we couldn't say a word to each other, we spent the night just _grinning_ at each other. You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife," she concluded seriously, and Clary laughed, wondering why everyone around her was able to so freely talk about sex and tension and _love_ when these topics were so foreign to her. "Anyway," Izzy continued. "I may never see him again, and we could never actually be together, so I know how Jace must have felt this afternoon. A bit hurt, but mostly embarrassed at himself for ever thinking it could happen. Maybe mad at himself, because boys are always so much more dramatic than girls."

They both laughed, and then Izzy turned on her side, staring at Clary as they both settled into the comfortable pillows. "I'm going to fall asleep here," she warned. "If I don't leave soon."

"So?" Clary mumbled sleepily. It wouldn't be the first time. Izzy had been around since Clary was a little girl, and they'd basically been inseparable since.

"So Master Valentine hates it when you act more like my friend than my master."

"I'm currently still stuck in a vortex of hate concerning Valentine. Let him be angry."

Izzy chuckled, and burrowed further into the soft, fluffy blankets. She couldn't deny that she slept better here in Clary's room than she did upstairs in the servants quarters. Maybe one night wouldn't hurt...

They both fell asleep to the sound of wind through the open window.

...

...

...

"I can't _stand _it, Alec!"

"Stand _what_?" Alec grumbled, staring at Jace through one open eye. He was curled onto his tiny bed, too short for him and hard. His whole body ached and he was warm all over. If he'd had the strength, he might have hauled himself back to Magnus. But, he recalled with a blush, the reason he hadn't in the first place when his symptoms flared again was that he was a little embarrassed to be seen so weak by the doctor.

"Obviously she hates the idea of marrying that blithering idiot," Jace grumbled, pacing back and forth on the hard, wooden floor. Their quarters were in the basements, as far away from the ladies quarters as possible. They were the only two men that slept in the house instead of outside in the servant's barn. "You should have seen the look on her face."

"Jace," Alec said, sighing. "You can't get all the princesses. Maybe you just have to accept the fact that this princess is out of reach."

Jace shot him a withering glare. "That's not what I'm talking about. I don't care if I can't have her."

"Of course you care!" Alec said, frustrated that he couldn't get comfortable in the muggy, sticky room. He wished more than anything that there was a window he could open. "You're frustrated that your pretty face can't make Princess Clary drop her life and be swooned by your obvious charm."

"Not it," Jace grumbled, aware that Alec was feeling tired and sick and not caring to keep up the conversation. "That's not it at all."

But Alec didn't hear him this time, because he had finally fallen into a fitful sleep.

_Then why _are_ you so upset? _his brain asked. _Why do you care that this princess, specifically, is now apparently engaged to the Herondale Prince?_

Unable to answer his question, Jace sighed, rolled over, and settled himself in for a long night.

...

...

...

It was well after midnight; the moon was high in the ski and the window, which had been left open as Clary and Isabelle had drifted to sleep, was now letting in the freezing midnight air.

Clary stumbled out of bed, shutting and latching the window as she shivered. Isabelle was sprawled out in the middle of the bed, pure bliss on her sleeping face as she snuggled further into the soft bed. Clary smiled, sleepily shaking her head as she walked to her door.

_Need water_, her sluggish brain thought as she stumbled down the stairs. She held tight onto the railing, not wanting to fall down the steps and wake the whole manor. Her feet, bare on the cold ground, slapped the wooden floors softly as she padded into the kitchens. She grabbed a cup off of the shelf and headed to the sink. The kitchens, she thought blearily, were so empty, so silent in the middle of the night. It was unusual and more than a little peaceful. Filling her glass, Clary leaned against the sink to drink her water.

It was when her glass was almost empty that she heard the voices - quiet, whispered, hurried.

"You _need_ to tell her, Jocelyn!"

Luke's voice, pleading. As Clary stumbled behind the open pantry door, she saw them walk into the room, Luke leading her mom with a gentle hand on the small of her back. Jocelyn had a pinched, angry look on her face - but her eyes were also weary and tired.

"I _know_, Luke, but when is a good time? When is ever a good time to tell her about all of this? How can I tell her that I've lied to her for _sixteen years_?"

"I don't think there will ever be a good time," Luke said, his voice more gentle now. He led Jocelyn to sit down on one of the stools and reached to grab a cup to fill with water. He filled it in the sink, his back to Jocelyn for a brief second while they both took the time to breathe and think.

"I don't know how," Jocelyn finally whispered, her voice broken as she finally said the words. Both of her hands closed around the glass of water as Luke wrapped her in an embrace. Clary had to stifle a gasp - she had never seen her mother and Luke so much as touch! This touch seemed so familiar, so easy and comfortable. It made Clary's heart ache - she had never seen Valentine touch her mother like this. And then it made her angry again - why couldn't her mother be with the man she loved? It wasn't fair.

She quieted her emotions so she could listen again as Luke began to speak.

"She loves you, Jocelyn. She'll listen, and she'll probably be angry, and confused, and for sure she'll have about a million questions - " Jocelyn laughed weakly at this, and Luke continued, a small smile playing on the edge of his lips " - but she will eventually understand. She'll understand that you did it to protect her."

"I just... I know I did it to protect her. And there was no other way to do it, but... Luke, how do I tell her that... that her father is - "

Luke cut her off by pressing his lips gently to hers. When he pulled back, Jocelyn looked a little dazed, but she finally didn't look as worried. Her hands tangled themselves in Luke's hair and she pressed her head against his shoulder. He held her tightly.

"Don't worry about that now, Jocelyn. Please. I'm not worried about it - when we tell her, what happens, happens."

"I hope you're right," Jocelyn whispered, finally disentangling herself from Luke's grasp. She pecked his lips once more, and then finished her water. "I'll leave first. Wait a few minutes and then follow. Everyone should be asleep, but sometimes Valentine..."

Luke nodded, grasped her hand tightly one more time, and let Jocelyn walk out of the room. He then sat heavily on the stool and dropped his head into his hands, sighing deeply the stress and tension he hadn't let Jocelyn see.

_My father is...? _Clary wondered, frowning as she slid down the wall, trying to be as silent as possible so as not to make Luke aware of her presence.

_My father is _what?

* * *

Anyone who can guess will receive virtual cookies. I dare you to try! :) I'm honestly curious if anyone could guess. I will be mighty impressed I so. :)

Remember, anyone who **reviews** will receive an **extended sneak peak of CHAPTER 6**! Please help me out by sharing your thoughts.


	6. Ch6 - The Threat

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_"Don't worry about that now, Jocelyn. Please. I'm not worried about it - when we tell her, what happens, happens."_

_"I hope you're right," Jocelyn whispered, finally disentangling herself from Luke's grasp. She pecked his lips once more, and then finished her water. "I'll leave first. Wait a few minutes and then follow. Everyone should be asleep, but sometimes Valentine..."_

_Luke nodded, grasped her hand tightly one more time, and let Jocelyn walk out of the room. He then sat heavily on the stool and dropped his head into his hands, sighing heavily._

_My father is...? Clary wondered, frowning as she slid down the wall, trying to be as silent as possible so as not to make Luke aware of her presence._

_My father is what?_

* * *

**Chapter 6**

Jace moved quickly around the room, determined to get his work done right this time. Already this morning he had ruined a batch of blood by heating it too long. Valentine said he wanted it turned into powder, so he could feed it to the lab rats - in reality, they had rats, rabbits, cats, and dogs - to document any changes that may happen. Turning a liquid into a power was a process so involved Jace was surprised that Valentine let him and Alec do the work instead of doing it himself. But, he supposed as he grabbed an oven mitt to keep his hands from burning as he moved the molten pot, once he and Alec were trained Valentine could get three times the work done in the same amount of time.

"How are you doing over there?" he called out, letting his eyes shift to the other side of the room, where Alec had already managed to dehydrate his first batch of blood.

"Fine," he murmured, not taking his eyes from his work. He was now partitioning the dried blood into exact portions to give to the animals. He, of course, had a different set of test animals than Jace did. Jace looked around the room, confirming that they were alone as he dropped into his chair. He placed the hot pan on his desk, reaching for his own measuring tools. This batch seemed to have turned out perfectly. "I really, _really_ want to know the full story as to what the hell we are doing."

Alec snorted from his side of the room. "As if Master Valentine will ever let us know the whole story. _I _still think he's batshit crazy. Demon blood? Right. This stuff I'm working with probably came from the same animals we're feeding it to."

Jace chuckled at his desk and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I just feel bad for these animals. And our own hides, when Valentine realizes that his work is psychotic and that nothing will come from it. Do you think we'll be the ones who are blamed?"

Alec shrugged, biting his lip and groaning in frustration as he realized his last batch was going to be a few ounces lighter than the others.

"God, I can't believe that I'm two ounces short. Jace? Could I borrow some of yours to finish this batch? I don't have enough for all of my animals."

Jace shrugged. "Sure, I think I made too much this round. I'll see what I have left over. Think Valentine will notice that you'll be mixing some of my _angel_ blood with your _demon _blood?"

Alec chuckled darkly. "I don't care whether I mix rabbit, dog or cat blood. Valentine will never be able to tell the difference. He _will_ be able to tell if I don't have enough in this bag."

Jace nodded, finishing up his own measurements and bringing his leftovers to Alec. The two boys liked working alone, without Valentine over their shoulders. It didn't happen nearly often enough. Normally, Valentine would be hanging over their shoulders, ringing his hands in excitement and grinning like he was a demon himself. He always asked questions to make sure they'd done everything correctly.

"I'm just glad we didn't finish on time today," Alec muttered, finishing his final bag of dried blood. "If he had still been here when I'd been short, he'd of had my head."

Jace nodded in agreement. Valentine hadn't been able to oversee the final step in their procedure because he'd had a political event he had to attend to in the shining capital city of Alicante, much to their relief.

"There," Alec said, closing off the bag, dating it, and adding it to his pile. He stood up, pushed his chair in, and stretched to work out the kinks in his back from sitting so long. "Done. What should we do now?"

Jace shrugged, cleaning off his desk and then joining Alec as they began to climb the stairs out of the basements. The doorway to the bottom floor of the house was in the back of the kitchens, in the drying room that wasn't used often. Over their heads hung dried, salted pieces of meat, vegetables, onions and garlic, hanging to preserve them for the coming spring and summer.

"The rest of our evening is free, as small a frame of time that is," Jace said, staring out the window where the sun was beginning to set. "I say we go out to the stables and see if we can find some horses to ride."

"But servants aren't allowed to ride the horses," Alec protested, following Jace nonetheless.

"Who cares?" Jace laughed, his pace quickening as the stables came in sight. "None of the stable boys do, so long as we don't ask them for anything so they can deny they took part if we're caught."

Alec knew this was true, but it only lessened his hesitation slightly. But to see Jace so excited about something was worth the risk. Jace so rarely got excited anymore, especially after they time they had spent together at the Blackthorn manor. Alec shivered at the thought - Julian Blackthorn was much more controlling than Valentine was, despite being a little less crazy.

"Hey, Jace, Alec," the stable boy greeted them. He was a smaller boy, about twelve. Alec smiled at him warmly, realizing with a start that he was about Max's age. "I have some extra horses in the back. But remember - I was never here." He winked and walked off, polishing cloth and polish in his hands. All of the horses had been fed and put up for the night, Jace realized, but the stable boy's work never ended. He now had to polish the saddles, clean the stalls, bring new hay down from the loft...

_We really are lucky, despite working with an unstable maniac_, Jace thought, chuckling to himself and waving Alec off as he cast a curious glance at his friend.

"We have time to ride through the meadow and back before it's fully dark," Alec said, saddling up his horse and swinging his body onto the back of the brown mare.

"Mmm," Jace agreed, grabbing his reigns and slapping his horse gently to get him moving.

When they rode, the mostly did so in silence. The wind in their hair and the pounding of the horse's hoofs under their bodies was comforting and familiar. It was something they had always done together, sneaking into the stables and stealing the horses. They had worked together for most of their lives, meeting as small boys when they'd first been sold. Seven years old, they had started out as stable boys. Thus their love of horses had grown.

Jace grinned, turning to look at Alec.

"Race you back," he challenged. Alec bristled, a competitive grin gracing his lips as he bent into a racing position, preparing to do something so familiar, so normal, that it made them seem, briefly, to be in a whole new world.

...

...

...

Clary was unusually silent as Isabelle picked at her lunch. They were in the kitchens again, spending Izzy's lunchtime with her mother and the other cooks. Today was a quiet day - there were no events to get Clary ready for and Jocelyn hadn't come out of her room all morning. Valentine assumed she was painting, which she often locked herself in her room to do, but Clary thought it might have more to do with the conversation she'd overheard last night.

"Are you OK?"

The soft voice, Isabelle's, broke into Clary's thoughts. Clary tried to smile at her friend, but failed to maintain her happy demeanor.

"I think so. I'm just tired. I need some fresh air, I think."

Izzy grinned, nodding. "I think I saw Alec and Jace outside earlier - probably on a mission from Master Valentine." Her voice was quiet, so her mom couldn't overhear. "Maybe you can do some investigating while I clean this afternoon?"

Clary nodded, and the idea of such a distraction - the mystery, that is, not the prospect of seeing Jace - slowly took over her mind until she was grinning from the excitement of it all. "All right. I can try to track them down. Maybe I'll spend some time riding Seraph, that's probably the fastest way to cover the grounds and find the boys."

Izzy nodded, liking this plan. "Can we meet up after dinner, in your room? To talk about it?"

"Sure," Clary agreed, her voice returning to a normal level now that their conversation was no longer top-secret. "And," she added. "You can bring that book back and show me what you've managed to work out."

Izzy nodded enthusiastically - she had actually managed to figure out what several of the pages said. They were easy words, but still, she felt quite accomplished. When she had shown her mom, she had gotten teary and excited. Izzy was very excited to show Clary.

"I'm off, then," Clary said, standing from her chair and passing back the soup spoon Maryse had shared. The soup - a creamy tomato basil soup that was to be for dinner tonight - was wonderful, and Clary was excited for more than just a taste at dinnertime.

"OK," Izzy agreed, finishing her lunch and standing up as well. "I'll walk you out. Master Valentine said I should pay more attention to the stairs and railings today, so I'm going to spend some time in the main room."

Clary nodded, not really sure what to say. She had offered to help Izzy before, and it had only gotten them both in trouble when Valentine had figured out.

"I'll see you later?" Izzy asked, smiling. Clary nodded, and then jogged outside and headed toward the stable.

...

...

...

It was as Clary was saddling up her horse that Luke entered the stables. She gasped, and, unsure she could meet his eyes, pretended she hadn't seen him enter.

"Clary!" he called out, grinning widely as he dismounted his horse. "How are you, hon?"

Clary pasted a smile on her lips, a task that was only a little challenging. Despite what she had seen and heard, Luke was still one of her favorite people in the world. She turned to face him, holding tightly to Seraph's reigns. "I'm great, Uncle Luke. Isabelle and I met up for lunch and now I'm going on a ride."

"Sounds like fun," Luke said, taking his saddle off of his own horse. He was much more open to the idea of Clary being friends with the rest of the servants than Valentine was. "Have you seen your mother today?"

Clary shook her head, not trusting her words. _She's hiding upstairs because whatever your conversation was about last night, she's still upset about it_.

"Ah. Well, since she hasn't told you, I'll go ahead and let you know." Clary's heart beat faster, threatening to beat right out of her chest. _You have to tell her soon_, he had said. But of course she should have known that Luke would never tell her mother's secrets. "Dr. Bane is coming this evening to see you. It's time for your seasonal medicine. To stave off the sickness," he clarified, and Clary nodded, cringing inside as she thought of the murky, tasteless potion she had to choke down twice a year.

"Ugh. Fine. When should I be back at the manor?"

Luke looked at his pocket watch. "It's noon now," he said. "I think Dr. Bane said he'd come after his office closed, so probably around six. You'll need to be back for dinner before then, so make sure you keep track of time today. Val - _Master_ Valentine will be upset if you're late again."

Clary rolled her eyes, and Luke noticed. He grinned and chuckled, but didn't say anything more. He polished his own saddle and they worked together in silence for a few moments until Clary was ready to go. She waved goodbye to him and he tipped his hat to her as she pulled Seraph in the direction of the stable doors.

And then she was flying through the open air, breathing in deeply to take in as much of the fresh air as she could.

Remembering her promise to Izzy, she rode in circles around the manor, looking for Jace or Alec - or both of them. _But mostly you want to see Jace_, that annoying inner voice reminded her.

In the end, it wasn't Jace she ran into, but Alec instead.

"Hey! Alec!" she called out, unsure how he would respond. They had never spoken before, but she knew that Izzy had told Alec about her. _And maybe Jace has said something, too_.

"Princess Clary," he acknowledged her, bowing slightly. In his hands was another of the brown, leather bags that the two boys seemed to be carrying around constantly. Clary stared down at him from her horse, and he stared up at her for a few seconds before she remembered why she'd been searching for them in the first place. She hopped off of her horse, landing a little less than gracefully in the grass.

"Is that for my father?" she asked, pointing to his bag. She was smiling and trying to seem as innocent as possible.

Alec nodded, his body stiff as he held the bag closer. "It is, Princess Clary. What can I do for you today?"

She shrugged. "I don't need anything. I just wanted to say hello. Izzy said you were her brother; she's very excited you're here."

Alec seemed to brighten at this; his hands loosened on the bag and Clary could see inside. In the bag were vials filled with red liquid. It looked almost like blood, but Clary was sure it was a potion that had to do something with creating explosions.

"How is Isabelle?" he asked, curious.

"She's great! I'm teaching her to read," Clary added. "She's learning really fast. She's going to show me what she's learned tonight, after I meet with Dr. Bane. Oh! Have you met Dr. Bane yet?"

At the mention of the doctor's name, Alec seemed to brighten. His eyes, so intent before, were lighter now, sparkling with barely veiled excitement. "I have. I went to see him the other night; I wasn't feeling well." Alec, who seemed to realize that he was as excited as a little girl, clamped his mouth shut and said, "He seems like a very good doctor. He helped a little boy with a broken arm by doing magic tricks to distract him from the pain."

Clary nodded. That sounded like Magnus, all right! "He is a good doctor. He's been my doctor as long as I can remember."

Alec seemed to find this confusing. He looked at her questioningly, adding the numbers in his head. "How old is he, anyway?"

Clary was about to respond that Magnus was twenty-two, of course, but something seemed off in her answer so she snapped her mouth shut. Instead, without thinking about it and as if it was a programmed response, she said, "I don't really know. He seems young, but he must be pretty old, to have been my doctor so long."

Alec didn't seem happy with the answer. How could Dr. Bane be old? He was barely a few years older than Alec himself. But deciding that arguing with the princess was never a good idea, he simply nodded.

"Well. Anyway," Clary continued. "I was just curious how you're liking it here so far. You know, the work and everything," she said, hoping she sounded confident - like maybe she _already knew_ what the work was.

Alec nodded, "It's been really nice here. Master Valentine has been very clear in what he expects, and he's done a good job of teaching us everything he needs us to know." That was a safe answer, right? He remembered Master Valentine's warning, _if you tell anyone what we're doing, you will no longer be needed here, or anywhere else. I will need to silence you, permanently. Do you understand_? Needless to say, they had both understood perfectly.

Clary nodded, and, sensing she wasn't going to get much out of Alec, asked, "Is Jace anywhere around here tonight?"

This seemed to be the wrong thing to say, like it was a sore spot for Alec. His eyes darkened again and his hands tightened on the bag he was holding.

"You need to stay away from Jace," he said, his voice tight and his body stiff.

"What?" Clary asked, confused and more than a little hurt. "Why?"

"You just do," Alec said, not relaxing as he took a step away from here. "He doesn't need you chasing after him only to hurt him. _Again_."

_Again?_ Clary thought, her mind a confused fog. _But I've never done anything to hurt him_... _Oh. Maybe it was someone else, someone like me_.

Alec, seeming to suddenly realize what he had done - spoken against the princess angrily - straightened up and looked around, hoping no one had witnessed his loss of control. "I - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, even though it's true. I should have kept that to myself." He turned and began walking away quickly, not turning back to look at Clary.

_Huh. Well. That was interesting. Not really helpful, but interesting_.

...

...

...

"Clary, good to see you," Magnus greeted her, closing her door behind him as he walked into the room. "This shouldn't take long. I just want to check you over and then I have your potion for you."

Clary nodded, knowing the routine by now. Check her breathing, her responses, her heart rate. Drink the nasty potion, and then normally fall asleep when the potion took effect. Magnus was always gone before she woke up.

"What's the potion for, exactly?" Clary asked, curious. She had never asked him before, simply accepting her mother's explanation - it was a potion to make her stronger, to fight off the sickness as it came and went.

"It's exactly what your mother has told you it is," Magnus said simply, hushing her as he listened to the sound of her breathing. Her lungs were clear, as always, and her heart rate within normal ranges. In the weeks and months between the sickness, she was always the picture of perfect health. Magnus often bragged on her when he came for her weekly check-ups.

"I don't like it," Clary complained, again for the first time. "It makes me all foggy. It's hard to remember things for a few days after I drink it. I wish I wasn't so weak."

Magnus sighed, a small smile on his lips as he met her gaze once more. He placed a hand on either side of her face, gently caressing her cheeks in a brotherly manner. "You, Clary, are one of the strongest people I know. I would never describe you as weak."

"Yeah, well tell that to my father and brother," she mumbled, turning her face away from him. She heard him sigh, and then she heard the clinking of the vials that Magnus always brought to these visits. He mixed the two potions together in a cup and then sat it on her bedside table. Clary was forced to look at him as his weight on her bed made her body shift. He was suddenly sitting right beside her.

"Clary, I hope this is the last time you'll have to drink this," he said, and when he could tell Clary was burning with the question "why?" he continued on. "I think you're old enough and strong enough to figure out the world on your own soon."

Though his words confused her, Clary knew she would be more than happy to never have to drink the potion again. Though it didn't taste bad, it was cold and thick going down and it made her want to gag. She hated the feeling of emptiness and confusion for the days following these visits.

"Let's just get this over with," she grumbled, taking out her annoyance and confusion on Magnus as she pushed him off of the bed.

Magnus nodded, handing her the cup. As she drank it and felt the sleepiness wash over her once again - this familiar sleepiness, one that wasn't pleasant or normal - she could see the sad smile on Magnus's lips. His eyes were bright and shimmering, almost as if he was holding back tears. And, as she snuggled into her blankets and fell into a fitful sleep, she heard his voice one last time.

"Clary, oh beautiful Clary. I cannot wait until you know the truth about yourself, about me, about everything."

And then the world was dark.

* * *

Guesses as to what I'm planning are always exciting and insightful. It lets me know what I have successfully hinted at and what I should try harder to hint at. :) I have a story plan all the way up to chapter 20 and I'm not even done planning it out. So! Get excited for loooooots of chapter!

OMGOSH! 11 reviews on the last chapter. You guys are amazing! :) Thanks to **goldenhairedangel, CHICKENSLOVEBONES, wingyan1320, Kizdawg, iLoveMeSomeCaptianAmerica, combatbootchic12, emmy, DauntlessShadowhunterChick, AnnaW14, Jling, **and** FandomGirl2000** for reviewing! :)

**Remember**, a review will earn you an **extended sneak peak of Chapter 7!**


	7. Ch 7 - The Kiss

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_Though his words confused her, Clary knew she would be more than happy to never have to drink the potion again. Though it didn't taste bad, it was cold and thick going down and it made her want to gag. She hated the feeling of emptiness and confusion for the days following these visits._

_"Let's just get this over with," she grumbled, taking out her annoyance and confusion on Magnus as she pushed him off of the bed._

_Magnus nodded, handing her the cup. As she drank it and felt the sleepiness wash over her once again - this familiar sleepiness, one that wasn't pleasant or normal - she could see the sad smile on his lips. His eyes were bright and shimmering, almost as if he was holding back tears. And, as she snuggled into her blankets and fell into a fitful sleep, she heard his voice one last time._

_"Clary, oh beautiful Clary. I cannot wait until you know the truth about yourself, about me, about everything."_

_And then the world was dark._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Clary awoke sluggishly. She was still in her bed, but the light outside was fading fast. Izzy was in her room, dusting and straightening. As she expected, Magnus was nowhere to be found. Clary groaned as she tried to sit up. The room was spinning a little, but with a few deep breaths, she was able to make it stand still. Clary laughed to herself; she was getting really good at this.

"How are you feeling?" Izzy asked, sitting nest to her on the bed and passing her the glass of water that Magnus had no doubt prepared for her before he left.

"Oh, the usual complaints," she groaned, accepting the water and sipping it slowly. As the liquid entered her veins, the world steadily became more clear and solid.

"Are you feeling up to telling stories?" Izzy asked, nudging her shoulder and waggling her eyebrows. Clary laughed weakly and nodded. "Yeah. I think so. You first."

Isabella squealed in excitement and jumped from the bed, grabbing the blue beginning reader's book from Clary's vanity. She flipped it open to the third page and started reading for Clary.

"The... dog ran. The cat ju-jumped. They had fun." She turned her eyes, shining with excitement and happiness, to meet Clary's gaze. Clary was grinning, and as Izzy finished reading, she squealed and clapped her hands. She stopped, however, when a wave of dizziness hit her. Izzy helped her lay back down and then they both started laughing, content to be where they were.

"So," Izzy said, proping her head on her hands as she stared down at Clary. "Tell me! What did you find out this afternoon?"

Clary searched through her fogged brain, finally remembering her conversation this afternoon. "I only found Alec," she began, walking herself through the events of that afternoon in attempt to remember through the fog. "I said hi, and he didn't really seem to respond to me until I mentioned that you had told me about him. He warmed up to me a little, then. I saw into the bag he was carrying, but that's the only real hint I got. He gave me a prepared speech about how Valentine was teaching them everything he needed to, and that he liked it here. Then... " Clary broke off, frowning as she tried to remember the last detail. It had surprised her, what Alec had said, and made her a little angry... right! "He told me I needed to stay away from Jace, that I would only hurt him again." Clary shrugged.

Izzy squealed beside her, not loudly but excitedly enough to let Clary know she approved of her investigating. "So?!" Izzy prodded, poking her friend on the shoulder. "What was in the bag?"

This was a detail that Clary could not bring to mind. She remembered seeing in the bag, and being surprised at what she saw... she remembered that it was an important detail, one that she really, really needed to tell Izzy...

But... "I just can't remember," Clary sighed in frustration, grabbing her pillow and shoving it over her face. "It's that damn medicine. It makes me foggy for a few days." After screaming loudly into the pillow, Clary pulled it away and looked apologetically at Isabelle. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "Maybe I'll remember tomorrow, after a good night of sleep."

"Maybe," Izzy agreed. "I'm not too worried. Between me having an inside brother and your investigating skills, we'll figure it out sooner or later." Grinning, she hugged her pillow to her chest. "It's kind of exciting," she added. "Having something to investigate. It's like a real life mystery story."

"Yeah," agreed Clary a little weakly. "It is."

They lay in silence for a few minutes, until Clary spoke up again.

"Izzy? Can I ask you something?"

"Mmm hmm," Izzy mumbled, turning back around to meet Clary's gaze. Clary hesitated, and then said,

"Is Alec gay?"

Isabelle let out a squeak of surprise, and then pushed the palms of her hands into her eyes with a big sigh. "Is it really that obvious?" she mumbled out past her hands.

Clary nodded a little. "I mean, not _too _obvious. And I think more obvious to us - I mean, people his age. I don't think Valentine will ever figure out, if that's what you're worried about. Really," she said, trying to reassure Isabelle. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is!" Izzy protested, frustrated. "I mean, I don't care, and you don't care, but it's a big deal. If it happens, no one speaks of it. If you're a servant, it can get you in trouble, or treated badly by the other servants. Alec could be... well, he could be hurt by... by the other men. I worry for him."

Clary reached over and played absently with Isabelle's hair. "I think he'll be OK. He has Jace, and you. And... " she paused, debating. "I think he has Magnus, too."

"Dr. Bane?" Izzy asked, surprised. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Well," Clary said slowly. "He asked me not to tell anyone, but since I trust you, and since it involves your brother, Magnus is gay, too. And I think Alec likes him. Something he said earlier, how he responded to me mentioning Magnus, makes me think that. And Alec is a good guy - Magnus would be crazy to not like him, too!"

"Well," Izzy began. "That does make me feel a lot better. Having Magnus on our side. He's a really cool guy. I think I had a crush on him once."

Clary laughed, and eventually Izzy joined in. "Don't worry about your brother, Iz. We'll watch out for him." Izzy didn't respond at first, and Clary sensed that they were done talking about that topic.

"We should sleep," Izzy said finally, a yawn tugging at the edge of her lips. "We can investigate more tomorrow."

"OK," Clary said, and she watched her friend as Izzy closed her eyes and slowly fell into a deep, comfortable sleep. After Isabelle's breathing slowed and Clary was sure she was asleep, she turned over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, letting her thoughts take a new turn.

_What is it I'm forgetting?_ she thought. She'd never had this feeling before - like she _knew_ there was something she was forgetting. Often Izzy would bump her palm into Clary's forehead and call her silly for forgetting their plans or her mother would gently remind her of something she had heard or seen.

But she'd never _remembered_ that she had forgotten something.

She remembered that she'd forgotten something about her conversation with Alec, and maybe her mother was supposed to be telling her something?

Clary sighed.

Surely this had to mean _something_.

...

...

...

It was the next morning, and Valentine was still out of town. Because he wasn't staring over their shoulders, Jace rushed through his work that morning. He mixed the portioned, dried blood with the food he gave to each of his animals - a rat, a rabbit, a cat, a dog, and a falcon. Once he finished this and started distilling the blood for a new batch, he left Alec in the basements and wandered up to the kitchens. He knew that the first step would take nearly an hour, and if anyone asked, he could always claim he was running an errand for Valentine while it worked.

In reality, however, he was hoping to catch Princess Clary and talk to her for a few minutes.

_But don't look too much like a lovesick puppy, _he reminded himself. _She is basically engaged to the Herondale heir._

Rolling his eyes at himself, Jace exited the manor. He knew that Clary often liked to ride her horse if her afternoon was free, and he'd managed to weasel from Izzy that she had nothing lined up this afternoon. Odds were good that she was out in the meadow riding her horse, Seraph.

Instead of stealing a horse from the stables, Jace decided to just walk. He hadn't really taken the time to just _walk_ around the manor. It was a beautiful place, really. The trees were all old and towering, green finally on their branches after a long winter of nothing but barrenness. The grass was soft and short under his feet, so carefully tended to by the yard servants. So he walked, his hands in his pockets and his hair blowing around his face. Eventually, the path he was taken grew more wooded, and he had to brush branches out of his way and step over fallen trees and rocks half buried by fallen, dead leaves. But when he finally pushed away a large, towering branch and stepped into the small clearing, his breath was taken away.

_Wow_, he thought. _This is beautiful_.

And it was. The opening he had found was a surrounded on three sides by trees - the side he had come from and the other two surrounding the cliff he was now staring off of. It looked out over the meadow, which wasn't cut and trimmed. It was allowed to grow free, with flowers in varying colors dotting the green landscape. There was a river at one end of the meadow - he and Alec had ridden to it several times over the past few weeks - and he could almost hear the water flowing over the rocks from here.

What he didn't noticed, so entranced by the landscape, was the small princess, curled onto a rock by the edge of the trees, facing the meadow.

Clary spent a few moments just staring at Jace, observing his tall, lean frame and the confident way he held himself. His hands were in his pockets as he stared out over the meadow. The way the wind blew his hair into his face made Clary want to run her fingers through it.

It was a small chuckle from Clary that made Jace realize she was there. His eyes widened and he jumped back from his spot, almost falling over but using his hands to recover before he fully hit the ground. Deciding it was more graceful to just sit down than try and recover himself fully, he let himself fall gracefully onto the grass.

"Jesus, woman!" he yelled, his cheeks turning pink as Clary laughed at him. It was a magical sound - pure happiness. "Don't scare me like that."

"Don't barge into my secret cliff," Clary countered, setting down the chalk she had been using to draw the landscape. "How did you find this place?"

Jace shrugged, wrapping his arms around his knees as he stared out over the meadow. "I walked." Then, without giving himself time to think it through, he added, "I was looking for you, actually."

Clary seemed surprised at the last statement and didn't bother to hide it. She put down her art supplies in an attempt to show Jace that she was willing to be completely focused on their conversation. He glanced at the materials, now on the ground, and smiled at the gesture. Neither made a move to be closer to the other.

"I was thinking," he began, attempting to add some humor into the situation, "That I should chat you up before you become a married woman."

Clary bristled all over, and this did not escape Jace's notice. "I _refuse_ to marry that child," she fumed. "Just because Valentine wants something from Stephen Herondale doesn't mean he can use _me_ to get it done."

Jace chuckled. "Good to know how you feel about that one." He scooted on the ground, pretending he was uncomfortable but in reality trying to get closer to Clary. "Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a princess and I'm boring," Clary concluded. Jace chuckled again, but waved his hand between them as if trying to convince her to continue. "Ok, fine. Let me think. I have an older brother - I'm sure you've met him, Sebastian. But he's never here. He disappears with my father for all of these millions of 'meetings' and 'political debates' they go to. Whatever the hell that means. I, for one, think they must be doing something else. _But it's not my place to ask_," she muttered, imitating her mother whenever she would ask a question. "I like to draw - people, the trees, anything. Painting is newer but I'm getting pretty good at it. I like horseback riding, I'm the least graceful girl you'll ever meet, aaaaand my best friend - my only friend - is my servant."

Jace nodded, taking in all of this information.

"Your turn," Clary said after a few moments, uncomfortable in the silence while Jace stared at her, considering everything she'd said.

"Fine. That's fair," Jace began. "I am a servant - always have been one. After my parents were killed - I was about two, I don't even remember what they looked like, but that's the story I've been told - I was given to a family. They raised me, and I loved them. I was sold from them when I was seven. I started out in the Fangborn manor, and I met Alec there. We were seven and we both worked in the stables, feeding and brushing and cleaning the horses. Morning to night we did this, and we slept in the loft. We made a blood pact," he said, smiling at this memory. "Like stupid little boys, we cut out hands and pressed them together and said we'd always be best friends, like brothers." He shrugged, and it was Clary's turn to scoot closer to him. They were sitting side by side now, their shoulders bumping occasionally. "But maybe there was some magic in it, because Alec and I have always been sold or traded together. We have literally worked together since we were boys. Ten years," he said wistfully. "Anyway. I worked for the Fangborns first as a stable boy, until I was twelve. Then Alec and I were sold to the Blackthorns. Blatkthorn was... well, he was harsher than your father. I kind of became Alec's protector." Jace shrugged again here, like it was a harsh reality that he had somehow just gotten used to. "Alec has a big mouth and opens it more than he should. I mean, so do I, but I tend to open mine when there's no one around to hear. I took his first beating for him, but it wasn't the last."

Clary stared at him with huge eyes. Jace could see that she hadn't had much exposure to the harsher side of a servant's life and that she was upset by his story.

"Hey, Clary, it's OK. I survived." He laughed, and took her hands into his. He held them for a few seconds until she met his eyes. He just smiled his most charming smile and she finally nodded. He dropped her hands, but thought better of it and reached over for the hand that was sitting next to his. He laced their fingers, and smiled when he realized he could feel her heartbeat.

"We worked for the Blackthorns for five years. We started out as stable boys, spent some time in the fields in the summer, and the year before he sold us here, we spent training our replacements. I guess he knew he wanted to sell us. And now, I'm here," he concluded his story. "I like it. Although- and I'll use Alec's own gentle and careful words here - your father is batshit crazy," he stated, no traces of humor in his voice.

Clary laughed at this, the spell of a horrible past broken as Jace's deadpan words hit her. He glanced at her, the thought that she might be offended leaving his head as he saw that she was doubled over in laughter, holding his hand tighter than ever as she giggled.

"Really, Clary. It wasn't that funny."

Clary glanced at him, and Jace was certain he'd never seen a more beautiful person. Her red hair was a mess and her eyes were shining with tears of laughter. Her lips were split in a genuine smile, and all of this combined to make Jace unable to form words as he stared at her.

The spell was broken when Clary finally stopped laughing and fell onto Jace's shoulder, her head fitting in the crock of his neck. They lay there, comfortable, for a long while.

"Jace?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know, I find myself quite drawn to you. I like spending time with you." Clary blushed as she said this, but since her head was resting on Jace's shoulder, he couldn't see her and for this she was glad.

Jace's chest rumbled with barely contained laughter. "Must be my charming good looks."

"And your humble personality," Clary grumbled dryly. At this, Jace chuckled out loud and shrugged, Clary's curls bouncing as his shoulders moved up and down.

"Must be," he agreed. And then, after a long silence, he added, "I suppose I like spending time with you, too."

Clary punched him in the shoulder as she sat back up. She frowned at him, saying, "Just remember, buddy. _You_ were the one who was looking for _me_ today."

"True, true," Jace relented, and then he asked, suddenly straightening up, "Clary, what time is it?"

Clary took out her pocket watch and stared at it for a few seconds. "Almost two. Why?"

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," he repeated, scrambling to his feet and running a hand through his wind-blown hair. "Oh, God, I hope Valentine hasn't made it back yet."

Clary stared at Jace as he stopped, one hand in his hair and one by his side.

"Clary," he informed her. "I have to run really fast now in hopes of beating your father back to the basements. But I wanted you to know that I enjoy spending time with you and would like to do it again very soon."

And, without giving her a chance to respond, he swooped down and planted a chaste, burning kiss onto her lips. Pulling back, grinning and blushing, he said, "Gotta run!"

And he did just that, leaving Clary dumbfounded in the clearing as the mid-day sun burned into her back. When she was finally able to move, she waved at his retreating form, just a dot in the woods as he hurried back to the house.

_I think Jace just kissed me_, she decided, still standing there with her hand in the air. _And I think I quite enjoyed it_.

* * *

WOW! Sorry it took me three days to update! School has started again - expect updates every 2-3 days! I have the next chapter almost done and then I'll need to edit it. I finished planning the story out, and unless my muse runs away with me, I'm looking at 24-25 chapters total! :)

**Please Review** - a few seconds to tell me how the story is going is worth an **extended sneak peak of Chapter 8!**


	8. Ch 8 - The Weak and the Strong

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_Clary stared at Jace as he stopped, one hand in his hair and one by his side._

_"Clary," he informed her. "I have to run really fast now in hopes of beating your father back to the basements. But I wanted you to know that I enjoy spending time with you and would like to do it again very soon."_

_And, without giving her a chance to respond, he swooped down and planted a chaste, burning kiss onto her lips. Pulling back, grinning and blushing, he said, "Gotta run!"_

_And he did just that, leaving Clary dumbfounded in the clearing as the mid-day sun burned into her back. When she was finally able to move, she waved at his retreating form, just a dot in the woods as he hurried back to the house._

_I think Jace just kissed me, she decided, still standing there with her hand in the air. And I think I quite enjoyed it._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Valentine was not prone to unnecessary violence, but when his servants disobeyed him or did not do their work, it was really the only thing to do to make sure they did not disobey him again. He had only doled out a few punishments in his time, but they were effective and didn't often need repeated.

He had, of course, hesitated before deciding that this was the right course of action - a part of him wondered how this might affect Jace's experiment. In the end, he decided that he would just take this beating into account in his notes and hopefully it wouldn't skew his results too much. Regardless, Valentine was put off by the fact that Alec was now going to be one day ahead in his experiment if he let him, and so he had grudgingly given Alec the rest of the day to run errands for him.

"I need you to go to town. I have a shipment of animals waiting for me. You'll need to take the carriage, can you drive it?" Alec nodded that yes, he could, and Valentine continued. "You may as well pick up the next batch of blood as well - I've sent a message to Stephen to let him know you'll be coming and his messenger will meet you in the usual place. And," Valentine paused, thinking. "You'll need to stop by Dr. Bane's office. Bring him back with you, as we will need his assistance tonight." Valentine paused, a small, sardonic smirk playing on his lips. "Infection will only set our project back further than Jace has already managed to delay it."

Alec nodded. "Anything else, Master?" he asked, not meeting Valentine's eyes. He winced every time he heard the _slap_ of the whip in the next room or a muted grunt from Jace - he had yet to give anyone the pleasure of screaming out during a punishment.

"No, that will be all."

Without a _thank you_ or any further acknowledgement of Alec's presence, Valentine walked off into the next room. It was the basement room that no one like to talk about. Manacles hung from the ceiling and whips were mounted on the walls. There was a drain in the floor, so that the blood could be washed away easily. It made Alec's stomach sour just thinking about his friend in the next room. But what could he do that wouldn't end in them both getting beaten?

Nothing.

Alec sighed. _Why am I always so weak? _He wondered, taking the stairs two at a time to get out as fast as he could.

"Alec!" It was his mother's voice. He had forgotten that she would be in the kitchens at this time of day. He wasn't used to leaving the basements during the day. He normally left during dinnertime when his mother was serving the Morgensterns. "What are you doing up here at this time of day?"

She was smiling, completely unaware of what was happening downstairs. She didn't know why Hodge was called in, or why the other three men remained downstairs while her son was sent to do pointless errands.

"I'm... Master Valentine needs me to run into town," Alec mumbled, eyes downcast. He couldn't bring himself to look into his mother's innocent and loving gaze. _I'm being sent on stupid errands because my best friend, my brother, is being whipped downstairs and I'm too much of a coward to do anything_.

"Well, have fun," Maryse said, wrapping two cookies for him in a piece of cloth. "Going into town is always exciting. Here, take these for your trip." She pressed the cookies into his hand and he thanked her, giving her his best smile as he hurried from the kitchens.

Alec fled as fast as he could, out of the door of the manor and to the stables.

He wasn't quite there when he saw the princess, a goofy smile on her face, walking toward her house. An anger rose within him, so great that he couldn't force it down. He stalked over to her, his hands grabbing tightly onto her shoulders. She gasped in shock, not sure what to do as he pushed her up against the barn.

He pushed his face close to Clary's, and snarled, "I _told you_ to stay away from him! I'll kill you if you ever get close to him again! I promise I'll kill you!"

Clary, surprised and shocked - and a bit afraid, too - stared helplessly into Alec's furious gaze.

"I - I don't know what I did. I'm sorry!" she stuttered, tears threatening to fall as his grip tightened. It hurt, so bad, and he was honestly terrifying in his rage.

"Stay. Away. From. Him," he said, enunciating each word as he pulled his hands off of her and stalked into the barn. He didn't turn around when she called his name, confused and hurt. He just grabbed Valentine's horses and led them to the carriage, working furiously to keep himself from thinking too hard about Jace in the basements.

It wasn't until he climbed into the carriage that he let the first tear fall.

_Why am I always such a coward?_

...

...

...

Magnus hummed to himself as he worked. It had been a light day. He'd seen a few children with sniffles, a pregnant woman who was ready to give birth to twins any day now, and an elderly man who complained of pain in his knees. It was one of his better days, and he was thankful for the calm and the peace.

The doorbell chimed, and, without turning around, he called out, "Take a seat and I'll be right with you!"

He finished filling out the chart on the elderly man - 73 years old, what he'd complained of, what Magnus had given him, and the date of a follow-up appointment they'd scheduled. When he turned around, he was expecting to see a mother with a sick child, or maybe a servant who'd gotten hurt on the job. Both of these were common visits.

What he didn't expect to see was Alec, his eyes red and puffy and his face pale. His hands were clenched into fists, and he looked as if he was just barely holding it together.

Magnus dropped the chart he was holding and hurried over, his hands fretting, unsure where he should be checking Alec over or what could be wrong with him. Finally he settled with his hands on Alec's cheeks, turning Alec's gaze to meet his own.

"Let's go in back," he murmured gently, noticing as Alec walked that there was nothing physically wrong with him. But if he was OK, then why was he here?

With a jolt, Magnus realized that Valentine always sent a servant to gather him when another servant had to be subjected to a beating.

"Alec?" he asked softly, guiding the younger man into a chair and passing him a cool cloth to press against his hot, tear-stained face. "Alec. Sweetheart, tell me what's wrong." Magnus's voice was gentle, like a soft caress, and it only made Alec want to cry harder. So he did, with his head pressed into Magnus's coat and Magnus's arms wrapped around him, holding him tightly as he shook with sobs.

"J-Jace... " he stuttered between sobs. "Jace ... they're hu-hurting J-Jace."

Magnus held Alec tighter. He held the black-haired boy until he had cried every tear he had. And then he held him some more as he calmed down enough to speak. When he started speaking, he held him still, but he pulled away far enough to brush Alec's sweaty hair from his face and to meet his gaze.

"Jace... he left earlier this morning to go see Clary, I guess. He said he had time because his bl- his project was at a stand still for an hour or s-so." Alec's voice, mostly steady now, shook occasionally as he told his story. "He lost track of time, or something, because when Master Valentine returned he wasn't there. I tr- I tried to tell Master that he'd run to the stables for something, but it didn't work. Jace wasn't back soon enough. When he finally came back, he told Master he'd left to take a walk and clear his head. Valentine - I-I mean, Master Valentine, didn't believe him. He knew Jace was lying, but thank God he didn't know that Jace had been with Clary. That would have been s-so much worse." Alec paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath in. "So he called Hodge, and they took Jace into the room with the shackles, and they started whipping him."

Magnus waited patiently while Alec reached a shaking hand to furiously wipe at new tears forming in his eyes. "God, I'm not normally this weak." He sniffled. "No, yes I am. I've always been the weak one."

Magnus ran his hands from Alec's shoulders down to grasp his hands. He rested their clasped fingers over Alec's heart and murmured, "You're not weak. You have a big heart, and you feel more deeply than most people. That _does not_ make you weak."

Alec laughed, though it was an empty, humorless laugh. "No, what makes me weak is the fact that Jace is always the one taking the beatings. Did you know he's never let me be punished? For anything? _He _is always the one who protects _me_. And-and then I go and yell at Clary, like it's her fault, and now she hates me, too."

Magnus didn't respond. He just stared at Alec with sad eyes, wanting to take him into his arms once more but unsure if Alec would allow it now that he had regained control of himself. Alec made the decision for him, and collapsed against Magnus's chest, spent from crying for so long. Magnus wrapped him in a warm embrace once more, and the two men sat there for a very long time, Magnus offering comfort and Alec borrowing Magnus's strength.

It was many minutes later when Magnus pressed a soft kiss to Alec's forehead, making the younger man gasp and blush, before standing up. Magnus never let go of Alec's hand.

"I assume you're here because I'm needed to tend to Jace?"

Alec nodded, a tiny smile - a real one - forming. "Among other reasons, yes."

Magnus nodded. "Let me grab my supplies and I'll meet you out front, OK?"

Alec nodded, but when Magnus tried to walk away, their clasped hands stopped him right before the door. Magnus chuckled. "Alec, as much as I love holding your hand, I need _my_ hand to gather my things."

Alec blushed violently and let his hand go, staring at the ceiling as if it was suddenly the most interesting thing in the office. He waited until Magnus was gone, and then walked out into the waiting room, his face still a little splotchy but mostly returned to its normal color. He informed Emma, Magnus's assistant, that Magnus was needed at the Morgenstern manor immediately, and could she reschedule his appointments for tomorrow? She nodded and had just started making a list of appointments she'd have to turn away when Magnus came out of the back room, bag in hand and a serious look now gracing his handsome face.

"I'm ready," he said, and Alec had to fight the physical urge to take his hand once more as they walked out of the office. They climbed into the carriage, animals and bags of blood hidden carefully in the back with leather tarps, and headed toward the Morgenstern manor at a gallop.

...

...

...

Jace was already laying in his bed when Magnus and Alec arrived. Magnus helped Alec unload everything he'd brought home, not commenting on the strange assortment of supplies he'd been required to get from town. After they stored everything downstairs, they walked toward the bedroom quarters that Alec and Jace shared.

Alec had to fight the urge to take Magnus's hand again - it was already becoming an addiction. But when they walked into the room and saw Jace on his side, moaning in pain, he fought it no longer and reached to twine his fingers with the doctor's. Magnus smiled at him and gave his hand an encouraging squeeze before he broke the contact, holding Alec by the shoulders and guiding him to sit down on his own bed.

"He's going to be fine," he murmured. "Just wait here. I'll patch him up and give him something nice and strong for the pain. He'll feel like he's flying."

Alec choked out a laugh, but his eyes never left Jace's body. As Magnus turned his back and began pulling dressings, scissors, and various potions from his bag, Alec sat and watched in shock as Jace struggled into a sitting position and peeled the bloody shirt from his back. He hissed in pain and, finally, his arms failed him. He let them hang limply by his side, and as he dropped his head against the wall in defeat, Alec stood from his bed and walked over. He touched Jace's shoulders first, making sure that the contact wasn't going to hurt more than help, and when Jace looked up at Alec with thankful eyes, he reached down and grasped the hem of his shirt, pulling slowly, hissing with Jace when the material brushed over some of the more brutal gashes. When his shirt was off and discarded on the floor, and Alec saw the extent of the gashes and tears in Jace's back, instead of more tears, Alec grew a resolve to never see his brother hurt again.

"I need hot water," Magnus said softly, squeezing Alec's hand, a gentle request. Alec nodded and walked out of the room to heat some water at his workstation. "How are you feeling?" he asked Jace, knowing this question was better asked when Alec was out of the room.

"Just peachy," Jace groaned as Magnus plucked a few stray pieces of material out of his cuts. Magnus raised an eyebrow of disbelief and Jace laughed breathlessly. "Fine. I feel like my back is on fire." He winced, flexing his shoulders as Magnus began wiping away the dried blood on his skin.

"After we patch you up, I promised Alec I'd give you something that would make your feel like you're flying. So you have that to look forward to."

Jace grinned and gritted his teeth. "That sounds marvelous. Any chance you can give it to me before you patch me up?"

"Mmm. No dice. You'll fall asleep instantly and I need you to stay sitting for me to patch you."

"Right. Or you're a sadist who likes seeing people in pain."

Magnus chose not to comment and instead continued to wipe away the dried blood and dirt with his cloth. His movements were gentle, but nothing he did could keep Jace from feeling the sting. It was when Jace asked his next question that he accidentally jabbed his cloth into one of the more brutal cuts out of surprise.

"Are you in love with Alec? Jesus! Don't press so hard!"

Magnus winced and pulled his hand back, making sure he just barely touched the skin as he continued to clean. He considered Jace's question for so long that Jace was worried he wouldn't answer.

Finally, just as Alec was about to bring the basin of hot water back in the room, Magnus murmured, "I'm not sure. Yet." And then he fell silent as the water basin was placed by his elbow.

"What else can I do?" Alec asked, his hands itching to be working. Magnus passed him a roll of dressings, scissors, and the instruction to cut six or seven strips about a foot long.

They worked in silence, Magnus using the hot water to cleanse Jace's back until all of the blood was gone and all that was left was raw skin, pink with irritation and inflammation. There were countless little cuts, and six big, jagged gashes to add to Jace's already impressive collection of scars. Magnus covered the strips that Alec had cut in an ointment meant to discourage infection and pressed them over the big cuts, making Jace hiss in obvious pain. Then he took the remaining roll of dressing and wrapped it tightly around Jace's whole upper body, from his shoulders to his waist. When he was convinced that Jace was as clean and as patched as he was going to get, he passed him a potion and a cup of water to wash it down with.

"This will make you sleep until morning, and I infused some special magic to help you heal faster," Magnus told him, winking and offering a tiny smile. The last half of that statement would anger Valentine if he knew, but what the man didn't know couldn't hurt him. "You should feel better in the morning. I'll be back tomorrow morning and night to change your dressings, and after that maybe I can train Alec how to do it. He's a fast learner."

"Mm," Jace responded, downing the potion in seconds and the water only a fraction slower. "God, that tasted horrible. I sure hope it works." But before he could utter the last word, his head had hit the pillow and he was snoring softly. Alec smiled tiredly at his friend, and arranged the blankets around him so he would be more comfortable.

Then, he sat on the floor beside Magnus and leaned against him, though not in a way that could be taken wrong if anyone were to walk in.

"You're not weak," Magnus finally decided, turning to press his temple against Alec's cheek. "Seeing you so willing to help me, and the shame and sadness that you feel because you think this is your fault - which, incidentally, it isn't. Alec, that makes you _stronger_. The ability to feel makes you stronger, no matter what Valentine may tell you. He told me once that to love is to destroy, but I think that to love and to actually care about people is what makes us strong."

Alec didn't respond - how could he if he didn't agree with what Magnus was saying? - but instead he closed his eyes and snuggled in closer. He knew it was dangerous, being so close to Magnus right now, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he felt Magnus put an arm around him, comforting him as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

Mostly a Malec chapter, but with some Jace suffering as well. Within the next two chapters, things really start getting interesting when a ... _certain _event takes place that forces Clary to learn some things. ;)

**Please Review, **and as always, a review is worth an **extended sneak peak at Chapter 9!**


	9. Ch 9 - The Beginning of the End

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_"Mm," Jace responded, downing the potion in seconds and the water only a fraction slower. "God, that tasted horrible. I sure hope it works." But before he could utter the last word, his head had hit the pillow and he was snoring softly. Alec smiled tiredly at his friend, and arranged the blankets around him so he would be more comfortable._

_Then, he sat on the floor beside Magnus and leaned against him, though not in a way that could be taken wrong if anyone were to walk in._

_"You're not weak," Magnus finally decided, turning to press his temple against Alec's cheek. "Seeing you so willing to help me, and the shame and sadness that you feel because you think this is your fault - which, incidentally, it isn't. Alec, that makes you stronger. The ability to feel makes you stronger, no matter what Valentine may tell you. He told me once that to love is to destroy, but I think that to love and to actually care about someone is what makes us strong."_

_Alec didn't respond, but instead closed his eyes and snuggled in closer. He knew it was dangerous, being so close to Magnus right now, but he couldn't bring himself to care as he felt Magnus put an arm around him, comforting him as he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep._

* * *

**Chapter 9**

It was late and the entire manor was silent. Clary was sitting on her bed, her sketchbook open and her pencils moving fast. She was trying to capture Jace as he was in her memory, still and smiling on the cliff overlooking the meadow. His hair had blown in the wind and she wanted so badly to preserve that memory forever. As she continued to draw, she found herself adding the outline of angel wings to Jace's back, so serene and peaceful and calm he had been in the forest.

"Clary?"

Her pencils stilled on her paper, and she quickly snapped her drawing book shut as she looked up. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was just Isabelle. But then, as Isabelle closed the door gently behind her and walked into the room, Clary could see that she'd been crying and her concern returned tenfold.

"Izzy? What's wrong?" she asked, scooting over in bed to make room. Izzy sat down heavily, smiling briefly at the picture of Jace as Clary's sketchbook fell open once more. But even as she smiled, her tears returned and splashed onto the bed between them. "Izzy?" Clary was beginning to worry that something had happened to Izzy's mom, or maybe Alec. "Izzy, tell me what's wrong, please."

"It's Jace," Izzy finally said, looking up to meet Clary's shocked gaze. "He disappeared for a few hours this afternoon, and M-Master Valentine had him whipped. Dr. Bane just left, I caught him on the way out."

Clary swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry. There needed to be at least one person in this room with dry eyes, she told herself, and then tried to make herself believe her own flimsy excuse. "Is he okay?" she asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. Izzy nodded, much to her relief, and Clary let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding.

"He's going to be fine, Dr. Bane said." Izzy paused, a question forming on the ends of her lips but not quite being voiced. She looked unsure, as if she was deciding if their friendship covered what she was about to say. Clary just stared at her, willing her to speak. "Clary... did... did Jace get in trouble because he was with you?"

Clary's mouth went dry, and her eyes grew wide. "I... yes, I-I mean, he was with me. But you have it all wrong! Alec, too. He already yelled at me - and now I understand why._ Jace_ came to find _me_. I didn't search him out. I - I wish more than anything that he hadn't gotten hurt today, but you have to know, I would _never _put Jace in danger on purpose! I lo-" Clary cut herself off, her gaze breaking from Isabelle's as she considered the impact of her words. "I like him. A lot. I would _never _hurt him. You believe me, right, Izzy?"

Izzy shrugged, not meeting her friend's eyes. "I believe you'd never do it on purpose. But... Clary, we aren't like you! We don't have freedom. We can't just go and explore and read and draw whenever we want. If we don't do our work, we get in trouble, and we get beaten, and sometimes sold to someone much worse than the Master we have now. You can't put Jace in that position. It'd be better for him if you pretended you didn't like him, and just married that stupid Herondale boy."

In her anger and hurt, Isabelle stood up and ran out of the room. Clary was left in the middle of her bed, her sketchbook open to the picture of Jace, the Jace who was completely open with her, who he trusted with his story and his secrets. The Jace she wanted so badly to spend more time with, the Jace who was hurt because of _her_.

Clary, still refusing to let herself cry, pulled herself from bed and stalked from her room. Her mother, she knew, would give her the same advice as Izzy - distance yourself. It was what she had done with Luke all of these years. Don't care in front of anyone, don't let anyone know.

But there was one person - one person she knew who would give her the advice she needed and the strength to face Jace, whether it be to lie and tell him she didn't care, or to come up with a plan to not let anyone _know_ they cared.

...`

...

...

"Luke?"

Clary's voice was quiet, though it still carried through Luke's darkened room. His room was on the first floor, across the hall from Valentine's. Luke was the only servant who had a room of their own, though Clary had never dared enter it before.

"Clary?" came a rough voice from across the room. Clary nodded, knowing he couldn't see her but not being able to bring herself to speak. "Hold on. Let me..." There was the sound of shuffling and the flick of a match as Luke lit a candle beside his bed, illuminating the room in a soft glow. He rubbed his eyes, putting the candle down on his bedside table before addressing her again.

"Clary, you know you shouldn't be here," he whispered, his eyes following her as she closed his door and walked over to him. Unsure of how close was too close, she stood a few feet away, her arms crossed behind her back. The longer he stared at her, the harder it was to keep herself from crying. _Crying solves nothing_, she tried to tell herself_. Only babies cry_.

Luke finally sighed and patted the bed beside him. Clary jumped and ran clumsily over to the bed, sitting down beside her Uncle and folding her hands in her lap. Luke waited for her to speak, giving her the time she needed. While she pulled her thoughts together, he lit a second candle and passed it to Clary to set at the foot of the bed.

Finally, she spoke. "Jace got whipped today."

Luke nodded; he already knew this. He also knew what Clary was thinking. "And you think it's your fault?"

Clary nodded, biting her lip. It was a losing battle with her tears and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out.

Luke rubbed a weary hand over his eyes, breathing steadily as he decided which words he wanted to say to her.

"I remember once," he said, beginning a story he had never told her before. "When I was about twenty-five. You were just a baby," he said, wistfully, as if he was remembering a more peaceful time. "I was helping your mother with you, as you were not an easy infant. Valentine couldn't be bothered with you, and I took it upon myself to feed and clean you in his stead. One day, your mother and I were so worn out - you must have cried for _hours_. We couldn't figure out what was wrong with you!" Clary chuckled; she enjoyed hearing stories about when she was small. "Jocelyn and I ... we fell asleep together, in the bed by your crib. You were between us, your little hands and feet kicking us in the face so we couldn't actually rest well. And... well, your fath- Valentine walked in. He walked in and saw us, and he isn't a rational man on a good day. And no matter how much your mom protested, no matter how many times she told the truth - that it was an innocent nap with an _infant_ between us - he didn't believe her. He was so blind with rage and jealousy that he took me down to the basements and beat me." Here, Luke paused, not sure if he should tell Clary everything. In the end, he decided that she needed to know. "For two days. When he was done, I could barely move. Your mother blamed herself, and she didn't speak to me for weeks. I was too weak to search her out, so I spent that two weeks believing she didn't care. When I could finally walk again, I confronted her, and she told me that it was her fault and that she was sorry for caring. She told me she was _sorry_ for _loving me_," Luke said, softly, reliving a painful moment as he told his story. "And I told her that it didn't matter how many beatings I took, that not caring was not an option. Clary, I would rather care and pay the price than to never care at all."

Clary was silent, taking everything in and digesting the new information she had been given. It didn't escape her notice that Luke had said _she was sorry for loving me. _He, finally, hadn't denied the love between himself and Jocelyn that Clary had observed for years. And then she thought about his last words - _I'd rather care and pay the price than to never care at all_.

Finally, she spoke. "Do you think Jace feels the same way? He won't blame me for what happened?"

"Clary, I can't say for sure. All I know is that some rules are meant to be broken. You're going to feel guilt over what happened for a long time. I have no doubt about that, because you'll tell yourself that if Jace hadn't been with you he would have never been beaten. But it's not your decision to make alone. You and Jace have only known each other for a few weeks, but whether or not you ever speak to him again is his decision, too."

Clary nodded, her hands still clasped and her eyes cast downward. She didn't know when she'd started, but she was finally crying, imagining Jace in the basements, hurting and in pain. She hiccupped and sobbed, breathing in deeply to prepare for another round of tears.

Luke reached over and pulled her into his arms, holding her close and running a hand through her hair as she cried herself out, grasping his shirt in her hands.

"That's right. Let it out, sweetheart. You'll feel better when you do." He kissed her forehead, resisting the urge to gather her into his lap as he had done when she was small. "And tomorrow, when the time is right, go and see Jace and hold him and tell him how you feel before you ask if he wants to see you again."

Clary nodded against him, an affirmation that she had heard and understood his advice. It was several minutes later that Luke noticed she had stopped crying, and he realized when her fist fell away from his shirt that she had cried herself to sleep.

"Oh, Clary, how I love you," he whispered, gathering her into his arms as he stood up. He carried her from his room, all the way upstairs, and tucked her into her bed. He opened her window to let some cool air in and then distinguished the flame of her candle before leaving her room and softly closing the door behind him.

...

...

...

Clary slept fitfully that night and woke earlier than usual. After opening her eyes, there were a few precious seconds of peace as the wind blew through the open window and the bird chirped outside before the events of the previous day came rushing back, settling like a heavy weight on her chest.

She sighed, rolling over and taking her blanket with her. She tucked the soft material under her chin and stared at her door, knowing it was the only thing separating her from the complex and confusing world beyond it.

It wasn't worth the risk to visit Jace before nightfall, she knew, and she wasn't quite sure how to fill the rest of her morning and afternoon in a way that would keep her mind off of everything. In the end, and after tossing and turning for a good amount of time, Clary decided to go see Isabelle and help her with some of her easier work. Despite her friend's harsh words the night before, Clary held nothing against her. She knew Isabelle had only spoken to her so harshly because she was angry and upset and scared.

So, after changing quickly into one of the dresses that her mother allowed her to get dirty, she opened her door and gasped, her eyes widening and then filling with tears.

Before her, at the edge of the staircase landing, stood Jace. He wore no shirt, as it obviously would have been too painful to put on or pull down. Instead, his entire back was swaddled in a soft, cotton dressing. She could see small patches where blood and fluid had seeped through the dressings and she could hear Jace hissing in pain as he began down the stairs.

"J-Jace!" she called, her hands reaching out to him and then pulling back suddenly, remembering that any words she spoke to him could get him in trouble once more. She hadn't meant to call out to him - her first instinct had been to hide so he didn't see. And so she expected his reaction to be anger or hurt, but when he turned around, surprised, she couldn't read any blame or anger in his eyes. Instead, he grinned his famous, heart-warming lopsided grin and hobbled back up the few steps he'd managed to make it down. He looked around quickly, and then took her hands into his.

Clary glanced down at their hands, half because she couldn't make herself meet his gaze, and half because they were so warm and comforting, his large, slim fingers completely covering her small artist's hands.

"Clary," he whispered, rushed and well aware that they were in the open. "I don't have long. I'm looking for Luke - Valentine wants him. But I want you to know that I don't hold your at fault for anything that happened yesterday."

Clary glanced up sharply, shocked eyes meeting his gaze finally. "W-what? How did you...?"

Jace chuckled, glancing around once more as he caressed the back of her hands with the rough, calloused pad of his thumbs. "It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots, Clary. And it wasn't your fault. I know what I'm doing."

Clary's heart was beating fast and hard. Her face was red and she wasn't sure how to respond to anything Jace had said. He chuckled, his eyes soft as he gazed at her.

"Oh, Clary. I wish you understood how I feel." He dropped her hands, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand as he took a step back.

"Wait!" Clary called, stopping him in his tracks before he reached the stairs again. "I can escape after dinner. Can we... "She paused, unsure, but was encouraged as she saw Jace break into a grin. "Can we meet, out at the cliff?"

Jace nodded. "I'll be there." And then he was gone, quickly hobbling down the stairs, his occasional winces of pain being drowned out by his heavy footsteps. Clary bit her lip, hating that he was in pain but elated that he wanted to see her again.

Unable to stop smiling, Clary went back into her room and waited a few moments - just in case someone was at the bottom of the stairs and thought it suspicious that they both came down so close together. When she was sure enough time had passed that it would be OK, she took the stairs two at a time, reminding herself that Izzy might still be angry and thus wiping the grin off of her face before entering the kitchens.

"Izzy, want help today?" she asked in a rush, sliding barefoot into the kitchens where Izzy sat having breakfast with her mom. The servant girl stared at her, spoon of oatmeal halfway to her lips. Clary dropped down in the seat beside her and stared expectantly at her maid. "I mean, I'll have a book with me and if Valentine comes anywhere near I'll pretend I'm reading and keeping you company."

Izzy slowly nodded, always grateful for the company but suspicious as to why Clary was offering _now_, the morning after Izzy had yelled at her and, she had assumed, ruined their friendship.

"I want to talk to you," Clary whispered, hoping that in sharing her joy and worry with Izzy that she wouldn't anger her friend further. She wanted to have an actual conversation about what had happened and what she wanted to happen - and she was hoping she could count on the support of her best friend.

"Well, I'm ready," Izzy said, standing stiffly and handing her bowl to her mom. "Let's get to work."

...

...

...

It was later in the afternoon, while Clary and Izzy were cleaning the dining room, that the door to the manor slammed open loudly. Clary dropped her duster and settled into one of the chairs at the table, her book already open before her. She propped her head in one hand and pretended to turn the page on her book.

"Sebastian, send a messenger to gather Dr. Bane."

It was her father's voice, and Clary's heart sped up as she noted that he sounded... worried? It wasn't a word she often used to describe Valentine.

What worried her even more was that she didn't hear Sebastian argue back or even speak. She just saw him running through the hallways, toward the basements where he would no doubt make Alec or Jace run into town.

"What's going on?" Izzy's voice now, low and quiet as she continued to sweep. Clary shrugged, her eyes glued to the doorway as the footsteps grew closer.

Then, Valentine walked into the room, and it took Clary several moments to recognize the bloody, torn form in his arms.

"_Mother!"_

She was out of her chair, bolting after her father as he carried her mother into the sitting room. Valentine gently placed her on the couch, not caring, it seemed, if he ruined the perfect, silk material. He dropped to his knees at Jocelyn's side and didn't seem to know where to put his hands. He hadn't noticed Clary yet, and she was about to barge into the room and demand to know what had happened when her father pulled something from his boot.

It was a small, sharp and silver. For a moment, Clary thought it was a knife, but before she could react to her father holding a knife over her so obviously injured mother, he began to draw on her arm. His movements were quick, sure, and when he pulled back Clary could hear her mother take in a sharp breath, her chest rising as she arched off the couch.

_What the_...

Clary was confused and in shock. She barely noticed as her father began pulling Jocelyn's shirt off. He drew on her body several more time, but was pushed out of the way as Dr. Bane entered the room. Valentine stood at the back of the room with Sebastian as Dr. Bane worked quickly to familiarize himself with Jocelyn's injuries.

Clary rubbed her eyes, sure she was imagining things as Dr. Bane's hands began to glow. He worked them over Jocelyn's body and snapped, "Tell me everything. This feels like the work of a greater demon. Leave nothing out."

Valentine launched into a story with so many unfamiliar words that Clary felt dizzy. Combined with her rolling stomach from the sight of her bloody mother, Clary almost felt like blacking out.

Deciding it was best not to be found snooping, Clary backed slowly out of the hallway, her feet almost giving out as she turned and ran. She ignored Isabelle's concerned calls and rubbed furiously at the tears filling her eyes as she ran. She wasn't running away from her mother, but instead running toward the one person she believed could tell her the truth.

_Luke_.

* * *

And the proverbial shit has hit the fan. Will Luke tell her anything?!

**Please Review**... and remember, a review earns you a **sneak peak of Chapter 10!**


	10. Ch 10 - The Truth

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_Clary rubbed her eyes, sure she was imagining things as Dr. Bane's hands began to glow. He worked them over Jocelyn's body and snapped, "Tell me everything. This feels like the work of a greater demon. Leave nothing out."_

_Valentine launched into a story with so many unfamiliar words that Clary felt dizzy. Combined with her rolling stomach from the sight of her bloody mother, Clary almost felt like blacking out._

_Deciding it was best not to be found snooping, Clary backed slowly out of the hallway, her feet almost giving out as she turned and ran. She ignored Isabelle's concerned calls and rubbed furiously at the tears filling her eyes as she ran. She wasn't running away from her mother, but instead running toward the one person she believed could tell her the truth._

_Luke._

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Clary didn't know where she was going, she was just running. She knew she was trying to find Luke, but she couldn't remember why.

_"You have to tell her, Jocelyn!"_

His voice was ringing in her ears, but the words she was hearing were words she was sure Luke had never said. She couldn't remember the conversation, just the same six words, over and over in her head, telling her that Luke would know the answer and that Luke would tell her what was going on and that Luke would reassure her that her mother was going to be all right.

It wasn't until she threw open the basements door and suddenly three pairs of eyes were on her that she realized where she was and where her body had unconsciously brought her.

"L-Luke," she stuttered, her tears flowing unbidden as the image of her mother - bloody, limp, barely breathing - flashed through her mind again and again and again.

"Clary!" he yelled in surprise, angling his body in front of hers so she couldn't see behind her. She honestly didn't care what they were doing down here - she just needed Luke. "Clary, what are you doing down here?"

Luke's warm hands were on her shoulders, gently guiding her into a smaller room with a door. He closed it behind them, ignoring Jace and Alec's confused and stunned looks. He led Clary to the opposite wall and forced her to sit down on the hard, warm surface. A bed, she realized belatedly.

"Clary, tell me what's wrong. You've come to me crying more times in the past two days than ever before," he murmured, trying to pull the story from her. It worked, a little. Clary chuckled and wiped at her face, embarrassed to be crying _again__. _But then she remembered why she was there and she couldn't stop the words.

"M-Mom is hurt," she hiccupped. "Valentine and Sebastian came in, and Valentine was carrying mom and she was bleeding, and Sebastian ran and suddenly Magnus was here and he said something about a greater demon, and - "Clary paused, gulping in a deep breath before continuing. "V-Valentine was drawing on mom's skin and then she breathed better, and _what happened, _Luke? What happened and what was it that you told mom she needed to tell me?"

Luke sat still for several moments then, trying to sort through everything Clary had said in her confused rush. _Greater demon, Valentine, Magnus, drawing ... _The last thing Clary said came to mind suddenly as he stared at Clary.

"When did you hear me tell your mother that?" he asked gently. She grasped his hand and hiccupped again before answering.

"I-I was in the kitchen, getting water. And you and mom came in and started talking and I hid. I know I shouldn't have listened in, but I did, and - "Clary stopped here, her mind snapping in on itself like a rubber band stretched too far. "And I don't remember anything else except you said, _You have to tell her, Jocelyn_. But I don't remember anymore, I promise. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, I didn't mean to."

Luke shook his head. "That doesn't matter. You said Magnus is here?"

Clary nodded.

"Then your mother will be all right. I promise, we'll tell you the whole story later." Luke brushed hair out of Clary's eyes gently. "But if Magnus is here, Jocelyn will be fine. Trust me."

Clary nodded - she did trust Luke, with her life.

"Clary, I need you to stay here. Don't go out into the other room, Valentine will be angry if you poke through his work. I'm going to go check on your mother - I'll be back, I promise," he added comfortingly as she grasped his hand tighter, the thought of him leaving her scaring him. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Clary nodded, numbly, pulling her knees to her chest as she tried to block out the pictures of her mother - _God_, there was so much blood! And when Luke left and she was alone, she started crying again.

She didn't sense the presence of another person in the room until Jace was pulling her into his arms, tucking her head beneath her shoulder and rocking her back and forth, murmuring words of comfort into her ear.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered, kissing her temple softly, his warm breath tickling her skin. "Luke will make sure your mother is fine, and he'll be right back and I won't leave you, and it's going to be okay."

And despite all of the confusion and fear, Clary felt safe. For that one simple moment in Jace's arms, she felt safe and protected.

...

...

...

Luke burst into the sitting room and felt his stomach lurch at the sight before him. Valentine was pacing the length of the room and Sebastian was sitting on the second couch, as pale as a ghost as he watched Dr. Bane working, furiously mixing potions and using Valentine's stele on Jocelyn's skin.

"What the _hell_ happened?" Luke demanded, leaning down by Jocelyn's head and brushing his fingers through her hair. Her eyes were closed and her body was completely limp. He could just barely see her chest rising and falling with breath. He knew he was stepping _far_ outside of his boundaries as he looked around demanding answers, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Valentine was too shocked to realize that his servant was demanding answers of him, and responded almost as if on auto-pilot.

"We were following the scent of a lesser demon - it was a light trail. We had no idea."

"The demon Abbadon," Sebastian broke in, his head in his hands. He breathed deeply, as if he was trying to convince himself not to throw up. "He ... he was hiding his scent right on the other side of a portal. It was a trap, and he got mom. Can... can you heal her?" he asked, this latest question aimed at Magnus.

Magnus sighed deeply, his hands not stopping even as his lips moved.

"I believe I can. I need a few more ingredients, things I wasn't expecting to need when you gathered me. Sebastian, find me these," he said, scribbling the name of two herbs on a paper and handing it to Clary's brother. "Fast."

It wasn't until after Sebastian left the room that Magnus spoke again. "I can ward of the poison in her system, but she's not responding to anything I do. This," he motioned to the gash on Jocelyn's stomach, "Is laced with his poison. He didn't hold back and I'm afraid that even though the poison will soon be gone, I have no idea if or when she will wake up. Her mind is in a state of shock and it needs to recover itself before she'll wake up."

Silence fell heavy in the room. Luke dropped to the floor, resting his head back against the couch. Valentine resumed his pacing, his features twisted in anger and frustration. Suddenly, he cried out and slammed his hand into the wall, his head soon following as he collapsed in as great a show of emotion that Luke had ever seen from his Master.

"She may not wake up?" Luke confirmed, quietly. Magnus nodded solemnly.

"It is the danger of the job," he confirmed.

"But she's stable?"

"Yes, she will not pass away today or tonight. Beyond that, I don't know."

"Right," Luke said, nodding, placated now that he knew she would survive the night. "Dr. Bane, can you please...?"

Magnus nodded. "I'm not leaving the manor. Between Jace and now Jocelyn, I will be taking up residence in the extra room. I won't leave her, Luke."

Luke nodded again, having no words for the doctor. He breathed in and out a few times, trying to make sense of the swirling confusion in his brain. His heart had finally stopped beating fast and his hands shook less.

"I need to tell Clary," he said, and Valentine's head popped up at the mention of his daughter's name. "She saw... from the doorway, I guess. She needs to know how Jocelyn is doing."

Valentine nodded, and the fact that he did not offer to talk to Clary about Jocelyn made Luke's anger flare once more. Dammit, he had been more of a father to Clary all these years than the man who claimed that title!

Trying to ignore the inconsequential feelings, he stood up and stalked out of the room.

...

...

...

"Jace can stay," Clary murmured, unwilling to let go of his shirt. "He can hear anything you have to tell me." She was still sitting beside him on the bed - his bed, she'd discovered - and though she was no longer curled into his lap, she was still holding onto him. He was an anchor in this storm of confusion.

Luke looked warily at Jace and finally nodded. Jace was in deeper than Clary would ever be, his work having offered him an insight into their world.

"Fine," he agreed, and then he brushed a hand over his face before meeting Clary's eyes. "You're going to think I'm insane, Clary. I'll just let you know that now. And... some of what I'm about to tell you ... well, maybe it's not my place to tell. But it's time you learned and your mother is not in any state to fill you in on the finer details. I am sorry," he said, finishing his speech, "If some of what I tell you makes you angry or even more confused."

Clary stared at him, her tears dry now that Luke had assured her that her mother was going to be okay. She waved a hand in the air - the hand that wasn't attached to Jace's shirt - indicating that Luke should start talking.

"Have you heard the story, the legend, of the Shadowhunters?"

Clary nodded, frowning as she thought. "Yes, actually. Jace told me. But... the details are fuzzy. I ... that potion Magnus gives me, it makes it hard to remember things."

Luke nodded, smiling sadly. "We'll get to that in a minute. Stop me if you need me to add more details, but I'm going to assume you know most of the main idea. The legend begins that there was a man named Johnathan Shadowhunter and he summoned an angel to request his blood, so that he could make a race of humans called Shadowhunters. They would be faster, stronger, and able to withstand the runes of the angel. The angel agreed and Johnathan Shadowhunter gave the angel's blood to the six ruling families, thus splitting the world into six regions with Shadowhunter rulers. These rulers were placed in charge of keeping their region safe from the demons that would try to enter it. That's your father's job, Clary - he and Sebastian, and your mother, too, even though she can't receive runes she was trained and fights like I do. They search out and destroy the demons in our region to keep our people safe."

Clary stared at him, unbelieving. "This isn't true. Tell me this isn't true! There's no way mom would hide this from me for sixteen years!"

Luke didn't respond. He just kept talking. "Your mother was a commoner, Clary," he said, and he shrugged. "It's not against the law for a Shadowhunter to marry a commoner. So Valentine did. He fell madly in love with your mother, and his obsession about cleaning the bloodline came later. But when a Shadowhunter and a commoner have children, their children will have a fifty percent chance of being born with a blind inner eye - that is, they wouldn't be able to see demons and Shadowhunters and the like unless they were specifically taught to."

Clary, playing along with Luke's story, added, "And Sebastian was born with, what, Shadowhunter blood?"

Luke nodded. "Something like that. Sebastian was three when Jocelyn was pregnant with you, and already he was chasing pixies in the yard. Jocelyn was praying that you would be born with a blind inner eye. She didn't want her children to fight the war."

"Well," Clary said slowly, trying to organize all of the new information in her head. "Wasn't I? I don't remember ever seeing anything. Never a demon, or a pixie, or ... or ... "She fell silent, frustrated and unable to continue. Jace grasped her hand - he had been silent throughout the entire conversation so far.

"You weren't born blind. You were just a baby, and you were trying to catch a sprite that was playing above your crib. You had the Sight, and Jocelyn... she wanted to hide that from Valentine, so she called Magnus and asked him to weave a spell to repress the Sight."

Clary's eyes grew wide with sudden understanding. "The potion?"

Luke nodded, looking down at his hands. "Magnus told Jocelyn that a spell could possibly ruin you. Being just a baby, your brain hadn't fully developed yet - and it's dangerous to play around in a developing mind. He told Jocelyn that a potion would be the best course of action. He told us a lot of things that night, some of which made us happy and some made us more sad. I - " He stopped, standing up and walking across the room. Clary followed him with her eyes but didn't stand from the bed. "Twice a year since you were a baby Magnus has been making that potion for you. Recently, it's been losing its potency. Which is why you're remembering things you wouldn't have before. That conversation Jace had with you about Shadowhunters? That should have been totally wiped out. Anything you saw - the marks or scars on Valentine and Jocelyn skin, the stele, pixies and sprites and demons - you would forget them even as you saw them. It was the perfect potion!"

"What about the other things I heard?"Clary asked, sensing that this was the best time to get information from Luke. "I heard my mom say _But her father is_, and then you cut her off. My father is... what? I know he's a Shadowhunter, but that wasn't what she was going to say. And what is the work that Jace and Alec are doing down here in the basements? Surely it has something to do with this crazy story you've just told me. _Why don't I know any of this_?! It wasn't her right to take those memories from me!"

Clary felt her anger rising with every single word she spoke. But Luke didn't appear to be affected. He just smiled sadly and said,

"Some things aren't mine to tell. _This _story wasn't mine to tell. But someone needed to tell you, to prepare you. Because now that you know, a whole world of fear and danger has just become your reality."

...

...

...

It was hours later that Jocelyn was tucked into bed in one of the downstairs guest rooms. Magnus had moved his few supplies into the room next to hers and Alec was making the bed for him as he set out everything Jocelyn would need over the next few hours.

Alec walked over to the older man and placed his hands on his shoulders, gently working at the knotted muscles. Magnus's hands fell away from his bag and he groaned in appreciation as Alec hit a particularly sore spot.

"God, that feels good," he murmured, letting his head loll back as Alec continued to work his tired muscles.

"Magnus," Alec wondered aloud. "I have a question. And you can tell me at any time if I speak out of turn. But... "Alec paused in his massage and learned down, gently pressing his lips to Magnus's soft skin. "It's quite obvious I have feelings for you," he whispered, his warm breath tickling the hairs on Magnus's neck. "And I was wondering... how you felt on the subject."

Magnus laughed softly, turning around in his chair to grasp Alec's face in his hands. He spread his fingers out, caressing the soft skin. "Alec. Oh, Alec. I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I would love nothing more than to have a completely non-platonic relationship with you."

Alec's heart sped up, beating wildly in his chest. Magnus chuckled again, pressing one hand over Alec's heart.

"And obviously," he whispered, grinning, his yellow eyes sparkling. "That idea makes you quite excited."

"It does," admitted Alec breathlessly. His own hands, having neglected Magnus's body long enough, twined in his black hair as he pulled Magnus up to a standing position. "It makes me excited and nervous, and I have a strange feeling in my chest that I can't quite describe. I feel as if I may explode if I don't kiss you soon."

Magnus grinned. "Medically speaking, that would not be a good thing. I think, in the interest of your continued good health, that you should definitely shut up and come over here already."

Alec didn't need to be told twice. He pressed his body - warm, tingling - flush against Magnus and groaned deeply when the more experienced man led Alec's lips to his own. They let out identical sighs of contentment as Magnus used his own lips to show Alec what to do. It was clumsy and wonderful and over far too soon. He pulled away and Alec grunted in annoyance, trying to pull them back together again.

Magnus chuckled, pressing his forehead against Alec's. "As much as I would love to keep kissing you all night," he whispered huskily. "I'm afraid for your safety if we were to be discovered. I think," he hesitated, and licked his lips, delighting in the way they tasted so marvelously of _Alec, "_that it would be best if we saved this for another day when we're less likely to be needed at any moment during the night."

Alec nodded, disappointed but seeing the wisdom in Magnus's words. He pulled away, his finger lingering on the collar of Magnus' shirt.

"I think I may love you," he admitted, grinning through his embarrassment as he looked up at his - boyfriend? Partner? - though lidded eyes.

Magnus laughed and pulled away from Alec, immediately missing the warm touch as their fingertips slid apart. "Alec Lightwood, I have loved you since the first time you walked into my office."

_That smile,_ Magnus thought after he had spoken, _would be walking through fire for_.

...

...

...

"Luke."

Luke Garroway stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning to face the young man who had spoken to stop him. Jace stared at him, his arms crossed and his face twisted into a concerned and confused expression.

"Yes, Jace?" Luke questioned, running a hand tiredly through his hair. It had been a long day. Jocelyn was sleeping peacefully downstairs, blissfully unaware of the can of worms that Luke had opened, and Clary had fallen asleep only minutes ago, after demanding answers that her uncle refused to give. She had been deposited in her own bed and tucked in, and Luke hoped that a good night of sleep would help her process everything she had learned.

"When we first got here, Alec and I just assumed that Val - Master Valentine was ... well, crazy. Demon blood and angel blood. But... he's not, is he? We are actually working with the blood of angels and demons."

Luke pursed his lips together tightly, nodding once.

"Well, then what the _hell_ are we doing?" Jace hissed quietly, moving closer to Luke and searching his eyes for an answer. "I mean, I ... I can't pretend to understand ... to-to process the fact that all of the fairytales I've heard are _true_. I can't even imagine a world like the one you're describing. Much less," he laughed here, once, a crazed sound. "The fact that we're _experimenting with the blood that created this race in the first place_! Valentine isn't just crazy, he's-he's-he's _mad_!"

Luke didn't respond for several moments. "Jace, Valentine has been experimenting with angel and demon blood for eighteen years now." He paused, letting this information sink in. "The experiments you're doing now, with animals - Valentine did that before Sebastian was even born. I can't pretend I know his plans, but ... something about this whole situation - you and Alec being here, working on experiments he perfected years ago - something is not right. I would suggest that you and Alec be very cautious over the next few days and weeks. Please. And not just for your sake."

And then, before Jace could respond, Luke turned and headed down the stairs, intending to check in on Jocelyn before he retired to bed himself.

Jace stood there, on the landing outside Clary's bedroom, his mind running a million miles an hour.

_Something's not right_.

Jace scoffed as he, instead of heading down the stairs, snuck quietly into Clary's room. He sat in the chair beside her bed and let his thoughts wander.

_A lot of things aren't right anymore._

* * *

I would like to note that Luke is hiding things - HUGE things - from Clary, things that Magnus and Jocelyn know but won't say. Magnus is not a bad guy, but he is going to get an earful from Clary if she ever fingures these things out. :)

Please Review for a sneak peak of chapter 11!


	11. Ch 11 - The Questions

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

**Previously...**

_Luke didn't respond for several moments. "Jace, Valentine has been experimenting with angel and demon blood for eighteen years now." He paused, letting this information sink in. "The experiments you're doing now, with animals - Valentine did that before Sebastian was even born. I can't pretend I know his plans, but ... something about this whole situation - you and Alec being here, working on experiments he perfected years ago - something is not right. I would suggest that you and Alec be very cautious over the next few days and weeks. Please. And not just for your sake."_

_And then, before Jace could respond, Luke turned and headed down the stairs, intending to check in on Jocelyn before he retired to bed himself._

_Jace stood there, on the landing outside Clary's bedroom, his mind running a million miles an hour._

_Something's not right._

_Jace scoffed as he, instead of heading down the stairs, snuck quietly into Clary's room. He sat in the chair beside her bed and let his thoughts wander._

_A lot of things aren't right anymore._

* * *

**Chapter 11**

When Clary woke up, she smiled. She'd had the _strangest_ dream, one where Luke had bought into the story that Jace had told her. Luke had told her, in the dream, that Shadowhunters were real and that she _was_ one! But the horrible part of the dream - the nightmarish taint - was the fact that her mother had been dying in her dream.

"Did you sleep well?"

Well, that was odd.

Clary was certain she'd already woken up.

Jace in her room - certainly _that_ had to be a dream.

But when she turned over in bed, taking the covers with her, her eyes landed on Jace's form, curled into the chair beside her bed. This Jace had bleary eyes, as if he had just woken up.

"This," she decided. "Is the strangest dream ever."

Jace smiled at her sadly, and the longer she looked at him, the more real everything became. And, the longer she stared at Jace, the sadder his smile got. When he finally moved from the chair to take her into his arms, she realized that she was crying. Again.

"You must think I'm such a baby," she whispered into his shirt, crying silent tears now. Her hysterical sobs from last night were gone, and now she cried simply because she did not know what else to do. Her mother was dying, and her entire world was a lie. She didn't know what to believe - she had no idea what was true and what was a part of the muddled world left behind by the magical potion Magnus had been feeding her for her entire life. "Oh, God," Clary shouted suddenly, pulling away from Jace and letting her hands flutter over his shoulders. "Was I hurting you? I'm sorry I hurt you. I've been hugging you and ... and..."

Jace cut her off and took both of her hands into his. He smiled at her, shaking his head. "You're not hurting me. Don't tell your father, but that potion Magnus gave to me has already healed my wounds as much as two weeks time would have. See?" he added, turning slightly and letting her see his back. The whole body wrap had been discarded sometime during the night and only the individual dressings over the worst wounds remained.

"Oh," Clary huffed, grasping tightly the hands that held hers. "Oh. Well."

Jace chuckled at her, amused by her inability to form words.

"I have to leave now," he said, brushing a lock of hair from her sleepy eyes. "I have to get to work, and you should go spend time with your mother." He paused, considering. "Is it insensitive to ask you if you can still escape tonight, to meet out by the cliffs?"

Clary shook her head. "No, it isn't insensitive at all. In fact," she added, chuckling humorlessly, "I think a distraction from all of this would be wonderful."

Jace nodded, as if confirming their agreement. "Wonderful. Well, then I bid you farewell until tonight."

Clary nodded, her hands falling into her lap as Jace released them. He smiled fondly at her and then walked to the door, glancing around it into the hallway before slipping out and silently closing it behind him.

Clary fell back into her bed, sighing out loudly as she brushed her hands over her face. _Go see mom_, she added to her list of things to do this morning. A_void Valentine - he may be suspicious why I suddenly understand things from a world I am supposed to be blind to. Talk to Magnus, ask him how mom is doing. Find Luke, demand more answers. _It was a solid plan, and, realizing that it would likely take most of the day, Clary hopped up from bed and dressed herself.

...

...

...

"Mom?" she whispered, wishing more than anything that her mother could hear her. But, Clary knew, she couldn't.

Jocelyn was laying, pale and bandaged, on her bed. Her arms and chest had been hidden - Clary couldn't see any of the marks that Valentine had drawn on her skin the night before. Her eyes were closed and her lips parted slightly to take in the slow, short breaths that Clary could just barely hear.

_She looks like she's sleeping_, Clary mused, wishing more than anything that it was true.

"Hey, sis."

Startled, Clary looked up, noticing for the first time that Sebastian was sitting in a chair beside the window, slowly peeling an apple with his knife. He was still in the same clothes that he'd come back into the manor wearing the night before.

"Hello, Sebastian," Clary greeted him, not meeting his eyes as she shuffled over to her mother's beside. She didn't know what to say to him - she and Sebastian had barely ever spoken, so busy with her father as Sebastian had always been. Jocelyn had been Clary's confident, her friend and her company in her early years, and Isabelle later. She knew of her brother only the things that they talked about around the table or what her mother had told her.

"Did father tell you what happened?"

Clary shook her head - no doubt this would be a different story than what she'd heard. In the past, when Sebastian or Valentine would come home injured, there was always a story about an accident or an attack. She'd always believed them, though now she was suspicious of every story Valentine had ever told that she'd believed.

"We, uh, we were headed back from town and the horses stopped suddenly. Father went to move a tree limb in the road. Mother ... She went to calm father's horse and the horse got spooked. He..."

Clary had to respect the way Sebastian lied - he looked near tears and as if he was having trouble speaking.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Clary asked, wondering if Valentine had prepared Sebastian with an answer to that inevitable question. Apparently he had, because Sebastian replied without hesitation.

"Dr. Bane said that her body is in shock and needs to heal itself. He says she'll wake up soon."

The last part, Clary knew, was Sebastian appeasing her. Luke had said that they didn't know when - or if! - Jocelyn would wake up.

"Can I...?" Clary asked, waving in the general direction of the chair Sebastian was filling. "I want to spend some time with her."

Sebastian nodded, clearly too tired to put up a fight. He rubbed a weary hand over his eyes and stood from the chair. He stretched and groaned, having sat in one position for too long. He ruffled Clary's hair on the way out and closed the door gently behind him.

"Hey, Mother," Clary whispered, sitting down and taking her mother's pale hand into her own. "C'mon. You have to get better and wake up so you can tell me everything that happened." She paused, fighting tears that she knew would fall if she spoke again without composing herself. "Luke told me the important bits, but I'm sure you have so many exciting stories that you could tell me - it'd be just like when I was little! You used to tuck me in and tell me tales of princesses and princes, of fantastic new worlds... I miss that."

Clary laid her head down on the sheets by her mother's head. She smiled, imaging that they had simply fallen asleep together in the middle of one of the stories that Jocelyn used to tell her.

_"Once upon a time..." _they always began. Clary fiddled with a lock of her mother's hair, and sighed deeply as she wondered if this fairytale she was living would end like the ones in the stories.

_And they all lived happily ever after._

...

...

...

It was later that evening, after dinner but before Jace would be free to meet Clary in the clearing, that she cornered Luke in the kitchens and bombarded him with the questions she had come up with during the day.

They were in the corner of the kitchens, barely noticeable and with plenty of room to talk without Maryse or the other cooks overhearing.

"I have questions that I think you can answer - they all have to do with what you told me last night."

Luke nodded, hesitant but understanding her confusion and curiosity.

"I'll answer what I can," he relented, and Clary nodded.

"You said that the angel Raziel gave his blood to Johnathan Shadowhunter in a cup. What happened to the cup?"

Luke gave a small, humorless laugh. "You just jump right in, don't you, Clary? The cup what was given to Johnathan was greatly debated over. Which ruling family would watch over it, after all? In the end, they gave it to a small group of people who called themselves the Clave. They were not Shadowhunters themselves, and thus much less likely to be killed in battle or to lose the cup. Sadly, they did just that - no one knows where the cup is to this day."

Clary nodded, accepting this answer. "Were you part of this Clave? Are you a Shadowhunter?"

Luke shook his head. "No, though if I had been I'd like to be able to say that they would get more done than they do now. Their job is to gather information on demons and demon sightings to help the Shadowhunters out, but more and more Shadowhunters have been injured - and even a few killed - as of late. I am not a Shadowhunter - I was not born of a royal family. However, I am an excellent fighter and I have the Sight - I can see demons and the like and Master Valentine assumes I could receive runes, though we've never tested it. Master Valentine has taken me on a few of his..._ trips_."

Clary nodded, processing as she brought forth her next question. "If - and I know it's lost - but if someone had the cup, could they make normal people into Shadowhunters? Does it work like that?"

"A little like that," Luke said, nodding. "Not exactly, however. The process to become a Shadowhunter is hard, and not everyone can do it. Tests of physical and mental stability and fitness are taken into account before it is even considered. I'm afraid not everyone would survive the process."

"Last question," Clary said, noting by the time on Luke's pocket-watch that Jace would be exiting the basements at any moment. She would pretend to ignore him and then follow a few minutes later. Despite Valentine's preoccupation, they couldn't be too careful. "If only people born of the six ruling families are Shadowhunters, and Shadowhunters are at greater risk of dying or being hurt than regular people, how come so many years later there are still so many of us - them, I mean?"

Luke chuckled. "God, Clary. If we'd raised you with your memories you could have solved all of our problems by now. In less than twenty-four hours you've already sniffed out the most important problems facing the Shadowhunter world." He paused, considering what he should tell Clary. "Master Valentine thought of that, as well. Many, many years ago when his brother died. He wondered what would happen to the Shadowhunters in fifty or one hundred years - would there still be any of us? He... set out to solve the problem, but he's been finding it ... difficult, without the help of the cup. Still, he hasn't given up." _As much as he should - it has become an unhealthy obsession_, Luke thought, but didn't add. "As for how so many of us are still alive. In the past, demon sightings were few and far between. When you were a baby, it was rare that Master Valentine would leave the house more than once every few months to track a reported sighting. Now, it's becoming more and more frequent - every month, sometimes every few weeks."

"Right," Clary said, and Luke laughed, because even though she was agreeing with him, he could see from her frown that she hadn't managed to wrap her mind around everything he'd told her - and not told her, in the case of Valentine's experiments.

"Run along now," Luke said. "I'm going to go check up on your mother. If you come up with more questions or ways to save the world, I'll be there."

Clary nodded, her heart quickening as she recognized familiar footsteps behind her. She quickly hugged Luke and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered, and then turned and skipped from the kitchen - almost bumping into Jace as she went. Her surprise was real, so her rushed apology was believable as she scampered from the kitchens and upstairs to her room.

Ten minutes ought to be enough, she reasoned. Ten minutes and I'll follow after Jace.

They were the longest ten minutes of her life.

...

...

...

"What were you and Luke talking about when I came upstairs?" Jace asked.

They were settled in the meadow now, the sun just beginning to set. They say side by side, not quite touching but knowing they could if either one of them were brave enough to take that step.

Clary shrugged, reaching out to pluck a flower from its home in the dirt by her feet. "Shadowhunter things. I asked him some questions I thought of after he told us the story last night."

"You know," Jace mused, reaching over to caress the petals on the flower Clary was holding. Her heart sped up at this new closeness and she was sure she was blushing. "It seems less like a story, and something that just _is_. I've never seen any proof - not a Shadowhunter or a demon to speak of. But it's just ... easier to believe than it is to pretend it was just a legend."

"Maybe you have the Sight," Clary blurted out, and her blush deepened when Jace looked at her, confused. "I-I just mean. Luke isn't a Shadowhunter - he wasn't born into a royal family. But Valentine uses him sometimes because he can see demons and stuff. He's part of the Shadowhunter world, but he isn't a Shadowhunter. He can see them, and he told me he's a really good fighter, and sometime Valentine takes him out with them."

Jace considered this, and then grinned. "That would be cool. That way, when they train you and everything, I could be your attractive side-kick!"

Clary laughed, and the sound made Jace smile even wider. He reached across the few inches separating them and entwined his fingers with hers.

"Hey, Clary?"

"Mmm?"

Clary was staring off over the meadow now, twirling the flower in her fingers as she watched the sun dip below the horizon. In it's wake it left bright orange, red, and yellow rays across the sky.

"Clary, look at me," Jace murmured, his voice honey and silk. She turned, her eyes meeting his. She was unable to look away, so captivated by his intense stare. "Clary, I want to tell you something, and I know it's going to make your life harder, so I'm letting you know now that I understand if you reject me."

Clary's heart was thumping loudly in her chest. Her fingers would have been shaking if Jace hadn't been holding them.

"Clary, I really like you. From the first moment I saw you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. But it wasn't until... that Herondale woman said you were engaged that I realized... " Jace paused, frustrated, and ran his free hand through his hair. "I am doing this all wrong. I realized, Clary, that the thought of you marrying anyone else or being with anyone else hurt so bad, I - " At this point, Clary was beginning to break out into a grin. "_I_ want to be with you. I don't want you to be with anyone else."

Clary didn't know how to respond, so she leaned forward and clumsily pressed her lips to Jace's. She could feel his chest rumbling with laughter as he guided her into a more experienced kiss. Her hands wound themselves into his hair and she moaned softly as he parted her lips with his.

It wasn't until Jace broke away, laughing, that she realized how light-headed she felt.

"Clary, you have to breathe. Breathing isn't optional."

Too happy to care that she was embarrassed, she just pressed her head into his chest. He held her tightly, his hands playing with her hair.

"So, this means you're not rejecting me, right? Just so we're clear."

Clary nodded, turning to glance up at him. "Jace, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And... even with everything going on - my mother, what Luke told us - you still haven't run away even though my life is looking more like a nightmarish fairytale every single day. And I... I like you, too. A lot. When I'm with you, I forget everything bad that's going on."

Jace brushed his fingers across her cheek, smiling softly at her words. He didn't speak, and right before he leaned down to capture her lips with his again, he whispered, "I will be here for as long as you'll let me."

"That could be a problem," Clary murmured around his lips. "Because I don't ever plan on telling you to go away."

"Problem?" Jace scoffed, pulling away just far enough to catch her gaze. "That doesn't sound like a problem to me. Now, shut up. I'm trying to kiss you."

"Well then shut up and kiss me," Clary challenged, her eyes glinting mischievously.

And so he did.

* * *

This chapter was harder and took longer to write than a few of the others, but it came out pretty much exactly how I wanted it. I'm excited, because from this point on, it's going to get pretty exciting. We still have a few big surprises to figure out, such as:

How will Valentine react to finding out Jocelyn lied to him about Clary?  
Will Luke and Jocelyn ever get to be together?  
What about Valentine's insane experiments?  
Will Clary be trained/ever hunt demons?  
Will Valentine ever find the cup?

These are just a few things I'm looking forward to answering and exploring. :)

_**I REALIZE I FORGOT TO SEND SNEAK PEAKS**_. And I am SO sorry. I have been out of school 4 of the past 5 days because I've had a horrible case of strep throat. I realize that with all that time I could have done _so much_ on this story, but I have been in a medicated stupor, sleeping 18+ hours a day and basically feeling like dying. But I'm better now! And I figured a new chapter was better than a sneak peak.

**Please Review_, and remember_,** a review gets you a **sneak peak of Chapter**** 12 (which I promise I'll send this time!)**


	12. Ch 12 - The Experiment Notes

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

**Previously...**

_Clary nodded, turning to glance up at him. "Jace, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And... even with everything going on - my mother, what Luke told us - you still haven't run away even though my life is looking more like a nightmarish fairytale every single day. And I... I like you, too. A lot. When I'm with you, I forget everything bad that's going on."_

_Jace brushed his fingers across her cheek, smiling softly at her words. He didn't speak, and right before he leaned down to capture her lips with his again, he whispered, "I will be here for as long as you'll let me."_

_"That could be a problem," Clary murmured around his lips. "Because I don't ever plan on telling you to go away."_

_"Problem?" Jace scoffed, pulling away just far enough to catch her gaze. "That doesn't sound like a problem to me. Now, shut up. I'm trying to kiss you."_

_"Well then shut up and kiss me," Clary challenged, her eyes glinting mischievously._

_And so he did._

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The next morning found everyone shuffling around the house, going about their daily routines albeit in a much more muted manner. Sebastian was training in the small room he and Valentine used for self defense training (that's what Clary had been told, though now she was sure it had more to do with Shadowhunder training than self-defense) and Valentine was stalking in and out of the basements, yelling loudly at Jace and Alec when he was downstairs and snapping at the cooks when he was upstairs.

Clary was sitting in the living room, trying to read a book but was so distracted by her battling emotions that she had read the same paragraph ten times.

_On one hand_, Clary thought, frowning as she stared at the words in her book_. I couldn't be happier because Jace makes me happy. But on the other hand, my mother is lying in bed just a few rooms away not waking up_.

Her mother was, of course, the first person Clary wanted to tell about what had happened at the cliffs with Jace. Her mother would understand and be happy for her! But her mother was the only person she _couldn't_ actually tell.

"You're staring a hole into that book, little sister," came Sebastian's voice, and Clary jumped at the sound. Sebastian laughed, but he didn't smile. "Thinking about mom?" he asked, dropping onto the couch beside her.

Clary nodded, but didn't speak. She was suspicious of every kind action from Sebastian. He often acted happy or nice but then would turn it around cruelly on the person who he'd charmed. He'd once been described as 'poisonous' by Isabelle.

"You seen mother today?" he asked, jerking the book from her hands and scoffing at the title. It was a mystery, and Sebastian always though they were too predictable or boring.

"Yes," Clary said tersely, grabbing the book back from him. "Of course. I spent some time with her this morning, but Magnus kicked me out."

"Ah, Dr. Bane," Sebastian drawled. He leaned back on the couch, settling himself in dramatically, letting Clary know that he wasn't going anywhere. "He's a character."

Clary didn't meet his eyes and didn't comment. She didn't want to be seen as coming to Dr. Bane's defense because then Sebastian would wonder if there was anything about him to defend. As much as Clary did not care if Dr. Bane or Alec were gay, Sebastian would.

He was opinionated like that.

Clary tried to turn her attention back to her book, and growled in frustration as Sebastian started kicking her foot.

"Little sister! You never spend time with me!" he howled, grinning now, though it wasn't a happy grin. "Tell me something interesting that's happened to you lately."

_Oh, nothing much - I discovered your and Valentine's secret Shadowhunter world, discovered mom has been lying to me and having Mangnus cook up a potion to make me forget everything I see from the Shadowhunter world even as I'm staring at it. Also am falling in love with a servant. And by the way, Dr. Bane and Alec are having a secret relationship. _

Right. Because she could just imagine Sebastian's reaction to any of her previous thoughts.

"Not much," she finally said instead. "I'm teaching Izzy how to read."

Sebastian laughed once and jumped up from the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the carefully placed curls. "Oh, how nice it must be to live such a simple existence," he mocked, and Clary felt anger rising in her chest. "It must be so easy being a princess. Too bad not everyone can have it as easy," he finished, and kicked her feet antagonizingly as he winked at her. She stared right back, determined not to look away or appear in any way weaker than he was. Finally, Sebastian was the one to break the stare. He rolled his eyes back and stretched his hands above his head. "Right. Well, I'm going to keep training until Dr. Bane is done with mom. If you see father, tell him I'm waiting for him to do some of our _regular_ practices."

Clary nodded, knowing full well she would never pass on Sebastian's message just for the sheer pleasure of knowing she'd made her brother's life harder.

It was while she was thinking these vindictive thoughts that Magnus walked out of the room containing Jocelyn and gently shut the door behind him - as if he was afraid of waking her. He caught Clary's gaze and offered her a small smile. Neither spoke until he was standing right in front of her, unsure what to do with his hands. One was in his coat pocket and the other was running continually through his hair.

"Clary..."

"It's okay if you have bad news," she said, quietly. "I can take it - I'm a big girl."

Magnus nodded and sat down next to her on the couch.

"We're still not seeing any responses from your mother. She's still breathing but unless we can get her to drink water or eat something soon..."

He trailed off, and Clary understood perfectly. "Right," she choked out. "Unless that happens, mother will die."

Magnus nodded, his face stoic and his eyes tired.

"Have you told anyone else?" she asked, fighting tears as she closed her book and curled into as small a ball as she could on the couch. Magnus shook his head. "You were the first," he admitted, and then he reached over and placed a comforting hand on Clary's shoulder. She accepted it and leaned into his touch. They sat silently for a long time, and it was Magnus who finally broke the silence.

"Clary, Luke told you what _really_ happened, didn't he? And not just to your mother. He told you about ... everything?"

"Not everything," Clary clarified. "He said some things weren't his place to tell. But yes, he told me about Shadowhunters and ... and demons, and about how I was born like Sebastian and Valentine, but how mother tried to hide it from me. How she got you to help. Wait," Clary held up a hand and looked, confused, into Magnus' face. "How do _you_ know about everything? I heard you say to Valentine that it was a greater demon that attacked mother. How did _you _know? You're not a Shadowhunter, too, are you?"

Magnus chuckled and shook his head. "No, Clary, I'm not. But I am a Warlock." When Clary stared at him without any indication that she knew what he was talking about, he went on. "Surely you must have noticed that my medicine has a little - " he broke off briefly, lifting his palms and letting tiny blue sparks emit from his fingertips. " - _magic _in it?"

Clary reached out and touched his fingertips - they were cool to the touch. "That is so _neat_. Is that how you were able to block my thoughts and use spells and everything?"

Magnus nodded, grinning. "It takes a while to wrap your head around it, doesn't it?" he asked, and Clary nodded. "I know Luke said something about me weaving spells to block your memory and still you didn't make that final connection, though you knew I was... different."

"Are there others like you? I mean, if there are angels, demons, Warlocks and Shadowhunters, it stands to reason there would be like... maybe Vampires or something?"

Magnus chuckled and nodded. "The world is vast, Clary. It is full of fascinating creatures that you will no doubt encounter eventually."

A silence fell then, and it wasn't broken for a long time. Clary seemed content to sit there and think, to mull over everything she'd learned.

Finally, Magnus did speak.

He smiled sadly at Clary - much like he had before he gave her the last potion, as if he wished he could protect her from the lies and deceit. "You know we were trying to protect you, right? When your mother and I decided to give you that potion? Valentine... Valentine is unstable. Your mother and I saw what he did to Sebastian when he was a baby, and we were worried for _your_ safety if he knew you had the Sight."

Clary stared at Magnus, suddenly confused.

"What did he do to Sebastian? Luke didn't say anything about that."

Startled, Magnus snapped his mouth shut. He leaned away from Clary and stared at her seriously. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean to bring up anything that Luke didn't tell you. If it's not his place to tell, it definitely isn't mine either. I'm sorry, Clary," he said one last time, and then he stood up and began walking out of the room. He muttered something about going downstairs to talk to Valentine, but Clary didn't hear him.

What had Valentine done to Sebastian?

_Dammit_!

There were so many secrets that Clary didn't know the answer to. She felt more confused and lost in this new world than she had when she knew nothing about it.

...

...

...

Jace was just finishing his last rounds - mixing the angel blood with food and giving it to a rat - when Magnus glided downstairs. His long coat billowed out behind him, and Jace didn't miss the small smile that he flashed in Alec's direction. Jace grinned to himself, suddenly very interested in his work. If Alec didn't want him to know... well, he would have to do his own snooping.

Jace wasn't, he decided, a very patient person.

"Master Valentine," Magnus addressed the older man politely. "I have news on your wife."

Valentine led Magnus into a corner, away from the boys. Alec placed a hand on Jace's shoulder and shot him a concerned look. They were both very aware of how Valentine would react to bad news - violently and loudly - and bad news was all that Magnus seemed to deliver as of late.

Jace, trying to add some humor to the situation, held up five fingers as Magnus continued talking. They could see Valentine getting more restless and stiff as the moments passed by. Alec stifled a chuckle as Jace began counting down the seconds down before they knew Valentine would explode.

4...3...2...

Jace's count was only one second off. He winced, sure that the entire manor could hear their master.

"_What do you mean you can't do anything?!_" he roared, first grabbing Magnus's coat and bringing him close to snarl in his face before pushing him away - hard. Magnus toppled into the wall but recovered himself quickly. "I don't pay you to be useless!" Valentine went on, clenching his fists and stalking a short line up and down. "DO SOMETHING, DAMMIT!"

"Master Valentine, I am doing everything I can," Magnus said slowly, talking as if maybe Valentine hadn't heard him the first time. Alec winced, knowing better than to intervene but wanting nothing more than to pull Magnus from the line of fire. "Your wife is not waking up. She cannot eat or drink water. I do not know how long I can keep her alive."

Valentine was clenching his fists hard, and Jace thought, as he watched the main in obvious turmoil, that even though he was crazy and unstable, that he really did love Jocelyn.

Magnus spoke again, and this time his voice was gentle.

"There is one option ... but you may not like it."

Valentine and Magnus spoke in quick, quiet tones now. Jace wanted, more than anything, to listen. Instead, he stifled the urge and grabbed Alec by the shoulders and herded him into their bedroom. Alec protested weakly, but let himself be moved across the floor. They both sat down and listened to what they could - which wasn't much. They occasionally heard Valentine's voice rise and Magnus quickly calming him down.

Alec played nervously with the hem of his shirt as he listened, and Jace thought that this would be a perfect time to interrogate him.

"Alec."

"Mm?"

"I have a question for you."

"Go ahead," Alec said, still not looking at his friend.

Jace grinned.

"What's going on between you and the good doctor?"

It was exactly the reaction he was looking for. Alec's eyes bulged, and he completely forgot about the conversation he was trying to eavesdrop on. His hands flew to the sheets on his bed and he gripped them tightly. He opened and closed his mouth several time, unable to form words as he stared into Jace's amused face.

Jace laughed. "Oh, relax, would you. I could care less whether men or women catch your eye. Are you happy?"

Alec nodded mutely, his eyes still wide with surprise and shock.

"Then I'm happy that you're happy."

Alec seemed to relax.

He really shouldn't have.

"BUT! This does not mean that I will - ever - cease to stop teasing you."

"I could give you grief about Princess Clary," he shot back, and Jace stiffened - he hadn't expected Alec to know that. But of course Alec hadn't - not for _sure_ anyway, and Jace immediately cursed his reflexes as they confirmed Alec's suspicion.

"Speak nothing of my forbidden relationship and I'll speak nothing of yours," Jace offered swiftly, sticking out his hand as they heard footsteps approaching the door.

Alec shook it quickly, muttering "Deal!" as the door opened.

They both turned, expecting to see Valentine but instead finding Magnus's form filling the doorway.

Sensing their questions, Magnus said, "Master Valentine has gone to sit with his wife before the ... procedure. He asked you finish cleaning up and - and I'll use his delicate words - stay the hell out of his way."

Jace chuckled but Alec just nodded. They went about cleaning up, Magnus surprisingly and kindly helping them out as they did so. By the time everything had been put in its rightful spot and Alec and Magnus were leaving to collect the supplies that Magnus would need to preform this mysterious procedure, Jace was completely worn out. He told them thanks for the invite but that he was going to stay in the lab and get ahead on his work a little.

Alec and Magnus left soon after and Jace was left alone with his thoughts. He pattered around the room, cleaning and straightening and preparing his ingredients and materials for the next day.

_Assuming we work tomorrow,_ Jace thought, bemused. _It amazes me that we keep business as usual despite all the insanity floating around_.

Although, Jace had to admit to himself, he wasn't supposed to _know_ about the insanity. He was supposed to be a lowly slave who knew nothing about the Shadowhunter world and believe that Jocelyn's injuries were the work of an angry horse.

He _definitely _wasn't supposed to be the princess's forbidden boyfriend who knew that she was secretly a Shadowhunter to whom everyone had lied to all of her life but still possessed the genetics to receive the runes of the angel and fight demons.

Jace scoffed at his own thoughts. He couldn't believe his own life was real - he couldn't imagine anyone else believing it, either.

"I'm going to start talking to myself soon if I don't get out of here," he mused as he placed his notes on top of a dangerously tall pile of files. He winced, preparing himself as he watched the stack first teeter and then fall.

"Fantastic!" he shouted, throwing his hands into the air. "Just what I need. A huge mess to clean up!"

He set about his task, grumbling and annoyed. "My notes, Alec's notes," he mumbled, stacking them into neater piles than they had been in before. "Woo-hoo! What's this?"

Jace was near the bottom of the stack when he found notes in a different handwriting.

_Could these be Valentine's notes?_ he wondered as he fingered through the pages.

His eyes grew wider with each passing page.

_Human test subjects 1 and 2. _

_Demon blood vs. Angel blood._

_Doses given at one year old each two years apart, after the first sign of having Shadowhunter abilities, not repeated. _

_The subject who has received Demon blood showed signs of sickness initially but has outgrown them in less than three months. The subject with angel blood was fine at first but occasionally shows signs of sickness, reoccurring._

_So far these are the only results I have observed. Results in Shadowhunter children are different than those in past human experiments as well as current. Will require more testing to decide if this is an anomaly or consistent - perhaps on older children or adults this time, as no effects have been noted in children._

"What the hell?" Jace whispered, searching the documents for names - he found none and the notes were not dated. They could be new or they could be years old - there was no way to tell.

"Who... is he testing on?"

Jace was able to rummage for a few seconds more before he heard noise on the stairs. Startled, he threw the files back on the bottom of the stack and tried to make it look as much like before as possible. Then, before he could be found snooping, he exited the basements and darted out of the kitchens, not taking the time to see who it was rummaging around.

_I have to tell Clary_.

...

...

...

Magnus was busy loading Alec's arms with equipment, potions, and medicine - everything he would need to do with Jocelyn what he had promised Valentine he would try - when he noticed that the younger man was pale and sweating.

"Are you all right, Alec?" he asked, transferring the medicines into a bag to take some of the weight off. Alec nodded slowly and Magnus frowned. "Have you been sick again without telling me?"

Magnus could tell by the way Alec refused to meet his eyes that he had. He sighed adoringly and unloaded Alec's arms before moving him to the small examination table in the middle of the room. Alec didn't put up much of a fight and rolled over onto his side with a groan when Magnus deposited him on the bed.

"You're definitely feverish," Magnus noted, brushing his hands over Alec's face. "Symptoms?"

"Kind of nice having a doctor for a boyfriend," Alec mumbled, grinning slightly as he bit his lip. Magnus smiled back. "I'm a warlock, actually. But that's not important."

Alec just stared at Magnus as if he hadn't just shared his biggest secret ever. He looked confused and tired and Magnus chuckled, saying, "I promise I'll explain when you're better. There's a lot I need to tell you. For right now I want to know your other symptoms."

"Uh. Headache, hot. Sick to my stomach."

Magnus nodded, walking to the wink and returning with a wet cloth as Alec spoke. "How long have you been feeling like this?"

Alec shrugged. "I've had the headache all day, but everything else is new within the last hour. God, what's wrong with me? I've been sick on and off like this since I got here." He groaned and thought for a few seconds that he was going to throw up. It passed and he breathed out shakily.

Magnus nodded again, wiping Alec's sweaty brow with the cloth. "I can give you something for your stomach and headache, but I think you mostly need rest and water. At least, that's what worked with... " Magnus trailed off, frowning. Alec's symptoms mirrored Clary's when she was occasionally sick, but her bouts of sickness were less intense and less frequent. He would need to investigate further. "Alec, can you make it back to the manor on foot? I can set you up in the basements with water and blankets and keep an eye on you and Jocelyn."

Alec nodded. "I'm sure I'm fine," he said, waving off the concern of his doctor. "I'll make it."

Magnus nodded, though he looked doubtful. He ended up carrying all of the equipment, medicines and potions and lent Alec his shoulder as they walked. They had just walked in the manor door when Alec looked up at Magnus.

"I think I'm going to faint," he whispered, and Magnus just barely had enough warning to drop his load and catch Alec in his arms as he wilted to the floor.

"Dammit, Alec," Magnus groaned, lifting him into his arms and pressing his forehead to Alec's. "You're scaring me."

Alec didn't respond, and Magnus felt a chill go through him when he couldn't emit a response from Alec.

"You're going to be OK," he murmured, placing Alec on the nearest couch and immediately checking his breathing and heart rate. "You have to be."

_I don't know what I'll do without you._

* * *

Two big things happened this chapter! I'm so excited it's starting to move in the direction I've wanted it to since the begininng! Sorry, also, that I didn't update AT ALL this week! Life got away from me and I found myself going to bed at 8:30 every night. Hope this chapter makes up for it!

**OH OH OH A HUGE HUGE THING HAPPENS NEXT CHAPTER**! _Anyone who guesses it will get a double-length sneak peak! _

**Please review, **and remember that a review is worth an **extended sneak peak of Chapter 13!**


	13. Ch 13 - The Father

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_Magnus nodded, though he looked doubtful. He ended up carrying all of the equipment, medicines and potions and lent Alec his shoulder as they walked. They had just walked in the manor door when Alec looked up at Magnus._

_"I think I'm going to faint," he whispered, and Magnus just barely had enough warning to drop his load and catch Alec in his arms as he wilted to the floor._

_"Dammit, Alec," Magnus groaned, lifting him into his arms and pressing his forehead to Alec's. "You're scaring me."_

_Alec didn't respond, and Magnus felt a chill go through him when he couldn't emit a response from Alec._

_"You're going to be OK," he murmured, placing Alec on the nearest couch and immediately checking his breathing and heart rate. "You have to be."_

_I don't know what I'll do without you._

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Jace burst into the room without warning, and Clary let out a loud squeak of surprise, dropping her book in the process.

Jace, clearly upset, didn't even bother to apologize for scaring her or for barging into her bedroom in the middle of the evening.

"Where is Luke?" he demanded.

Clary stared at him, confused. She responded, "Uh. I'm not sure. Maybe with Mother. Dr. Bane and Alec haven't come back yet and I haven't seen Valentine in a while, so Luke's the only one who _could_ be with her."

"Great," Jace responded, grabbing her hand and hauling her from the chair by her window. "We need to go talk to him. Now."

Clary, confused and concerned, chose not to ask Jace what was going on. He refused to meet her eye, and instead stared straight forward as they walked through the halls of the manor. He did, thankfully, have the presence of mind to drop her hand when they passed Izzy in the hallway.

Clary waved and offered a quiet greeting and was about to say more to her best friend - who she'd been neglecting for days - when she realized that Jace had stalked on ahead.

"I ... uh..." Clary waved helplessly and then ran off after Jace, looking back to watch as Izzy's face blossomed in confusion. "I'll see you later!" she shouted, catching up to Jace and sliding her hand into his. He looked back and offered her a small smile.

"Promise you'll explain when we find Luke?" she murmured, and he nodded.

They rounded another corner and peeked into the room holding her mother. Clary backed out just as quickly as she had peaked in because only Valentine was in the room. She shook her head at Jace and then grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the back of the manor where Luke's room was.

They reached his room and Clary knocked on the door, lightly. It was opened by an exhausted looking Luke who was rubbing his tired eyes.

"Luke, I need to talk to you," Jace said, barging in and dropping down in Luke's chair.

Clary followed and Luke was left at the door, an amused smile on his lips as he gestured at the empty air. "Sure, come on it. I wasn't trying to sleep or anything." He chuckled to himself and shut the door, turning to face the two teenagers now staring intently at him. "What's going on?"

Jace waved his hands in the air and hopped to his feet, pacing now as he tried to word his thoughts. Clary stole his chair and sat down, her hands resting in her lap as she waited. Luke leaned against her chair, his arms crossing over his chest, yawning, as Jace finally spoke.

"I saw some of Master Valentine's notes ... I knocked a stack of our own notes over. I couldn't make sense of it all - they were about as disjointed as the man himself, but... " Jace broke off here, biting his lip as he stared at the older man. "Luke ... do you think he's doing human experiments with this blood? I mean, I didn't imagine he could be capable of doing it. I didn't _want_ to believe it. But... his notes. He _said_ human experiments and Shadowhunter experiments. His notes were talking about how one subject from each group had gotten sick but that those were the only results he'd seen so far, and... and... "

Jace stopped talking, out of words. His hands were in his hair, his eyes wild.

"I mean, it is possible he's actually using _angel_ and _demon _blood, isn't it? A few days ago I would have thought myself insane for even suggesting this, but knowing what I know now... about Shadowhunters and everything. It's possible, isn't it?"

Luke looked shocked at Jace's revelation. So much so that he couldn't respond for several moments. It was finally Clary who spoke.

"Oh, my God," she whispered, and her hand shook as she pushed herself up from her chair. "Magnus... he-he said that, that Valentine had done something to Sebastian when he was a baby that mom was worried he would do to me, too! That's why mom and Magnus decided to give me that potion. Could it be Sebastian that he experimented on?"

Jace shook his head slowly. "No... it was a _pair_ of Shadowhunters, because he said one was sick initially and then grew stronger and the other was fine before getting sick on and off. It couldn't have just been your brother."

Luke, who had been silent until now, paced over to them. "It _was_ a pair of Shadowhunters... or so he thought. Clary... your mother and I may have been too late in protecting you. She always believed that you would be human, like u- " Luke broke off, biting his teeth together harshly as if he had almost said something he didn't want to - or did want to, Clary decided, looking at the restrained, pained look in his eyes - but that he couldn't say. He continued, weakly, "Like her. But you weren't. Somehow... _God_! I can't tell this story without telling you... the whole truth," he decided, dropping to his bed and letting his head fall into his hands. "It makes no sense unless you know the whole truth."

Jace stared at Luke, his head cocked to the side. He shifted off to the side of the room so that Clary was the center of attention.

"So _tell me_," Clary said, sitting beside him and reaching for his hands.

Luke shook his head. "I can't, Clary. It's not my place to tell."

"But it's about _me,_" Clary stressed. "It's about _me_, Uncle Luke, so it's _my_ place to _know_."

Luke sighed in defeat.

"I suppose I may as well, since there's a chance Jocelyn may not wake up," he conceded, his voice cracking on the last two words.

Clary waited, for what seemed like a very long time, while Luke opened and closed his mouth, again and again, trying to force the words out. "I've been hiding this secret for sixteen years," he whispered. "Since before you were born, because it could get you, me, and your mother killed. And now I'm about to tell you with Master Valentine sitting two rooms away."

Clary just nodded in what she hoped was an encouraging way.

"Don't call me Uncle Luke anymore," Luke began, sighing and moving away from Clary just enough that he could look into her eyes. "You know your mother and I have loved each other for a long time, even longer than we realized."

There was a gasp from the other side of the room as realization hit Jace. Clary spared him a glance, but she didn't understand yet, so she turned her attention back to Luke and motioned for him to continue.

"When Jocelyn discovered she was pregnant with you, she didn't know... _we_ didn't know, Clary, whether or not ... you were mine," he finished, his voice breaking as he offered her a tiny smile.

...

...

...

Magnus was muttering to himself as he tried to haul both Alec's limp form and all of his supplies to the guest room where Jocelyn was. He planned to stop and deposit Alec on the couch in the sitting room before attending to Jocelyn.

"Master Valentine will have my head if I don't fulfill my promise soon," he whispered to the unconscious Alec. "And though I care less about his opinions than I do you, I need my head to continue tending to your needs. Here we are," he grunted, laying Alec down as gently as he could manage. He'd already placed wet rags on Alec's pulse points to try and bring down his fever and had given him a potion meant to discourage sickness, but so far nothing had made a difference. He was worried and wanted to get his business done as quickly as possible.

"I'll be right back, love," he whispered, brushing his lips against Alec's sweaty forehead before straightening up and grabbing the supplies he needed for Jocelyn.

"Ah, you return, Dr. Bane," Valentine greeted him, rising gracefully from his chair and stalking to the end of Jocelyn's bed as Magnus began setting up his materials.

"I'll walk you through what we're doing," Magnus said, vials and potions and glass containers lining up on the bedside shelf. Valentine nodded, his hands reaching out as if he wanted to help but then falling, useless, back to his side. "Since Mistress Jocelyn can only go on another day at the most without food or water, we need to place her body in suspension."

"Of course," Valentine muttered. "I know what that is. But explain to me again how it will help her."

"Well," Magnus went on, mixing together the first potion. It was a blueish-grey mixture and it smelled foul. "Her body is working hard to rid itself of the poison, but it's also working hard to heal her. If we take one of those out of the equation, the other will be able to work more efficiently. What I am proposing is that we reduce Mistress Jocelyn's pulse and heart rate to the absolute minimum to keep her alive. You can think of it as ... as a deep sleep, one she cannot wake from without help from a Warlock such as myself. Once this happens, her body can continue to fight the poison," he murmured, beginning to unwrap Jocelyn's bandages. "As well as," he added, "keep her from needing the necessities like food and water. She'll be able to live like this indefinitely, until she heals or we find something to heal her. She will be alive, but she won't at the same time. It is a delicate procedure that requires the extensive use of magic."

"Of course," Valentine whispered, and Magnus knew he wasn't really listening so much as using Magnus's voice to hold onto. Despite being an unstable man, he was deeply - almost possessively sometimes, Magnus noted - in love with his wife. "Of course that's okay. Whatever you have to do."

Magnus nodded as he covered Jocelyn's wounds with one potion and then re-wrapped her torso. He drew a few swirls and designs on Jocelyn's chest after promising Valentine they weren't the angels runes and that they were just necessary to complete the ritual.

"I need your help now," he said. "She has to swallow this. Her reflexes are still intact, but she needs to be sitting with her head back."

Valentine nodded and slipped behind his wife. He held her body up and Magnus positioned her face before letting a few drops of the blue-grey liquid slip down her throat. He waited a few seconds to make sure she didn't choke and continued, slowly, until the potion was gone.

The two men waited in silence for several moments while Valentine re-positioned Jocelyn and moved out from behind her.

"How will we know it's working?" he asked.

Magnus began packing up his supplies. "In about an hour her pulse and heart rate should begin slowing. I'll be back to check up on her. Stay with her and let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens. In the meantime, one of your servants has fallen ill again. Alec," he added, watching Valentine's expression for any hint of surprise or hope. Magnus was still trying to connect the dots between Clary's sickness and Alec's. "I must tend to him," he said, disappointed when Valentine's expression remained passive and unemotional.

"I'd do anything for my wife," he said, and Magnus nodded, confused at the sudden declaration.

_Of course you will_, Magnus thought, zipping his bag. _Why would you say that?_

But before Magnus could ask - or even process the risk of asking - Valentine stood, swished his cloak over his shoulder, and exited the room.

...

...

...

"M... Magnus?"

It was a quiet sound, so quiet that Magnus almost missed it. He was working on boiling water for tea when he heard Alec's voice. His eyes lit up and his heart beat furiously in his chest as he glided swiftly to where his boyfriend lay in the basements, covered with a light sheet and cool rags.

"What... what happened?" Alec managed, licking his dry lips and swallowing a few times to relieve his dry throat.

"You fainted," Magnus said, propping his boyfriend's feverish body up and sliding in behind him. He let Alec rest on his chest, his head tucked into the crook of Magnus's arm. Magnus rubbed his back gently, more out of nervousness than any hope to relieve Alec's symptoms. "You didn't tell me you'd been sick again," he accused, and he choked on the words, his worry seeping through now that Alec was finally awake.

"I didn't think it mattered," Alec murmured, content to be where he was, though slightly uncomfortable from the aches in his body and the heat coursing through his veins.

"Everything about you matters to me," Magnus said, sighing. "I've never felt this way about anyone. It scares me to be so... so scared about you."

"That's called love," Alec offered helpfully. "Have you never loved anyone? Your mom and dad? Friends?"

Magnus smiled and chuckled lightly. "Remember when I said I had things to tell you? It was before we left the office."

Alec nodded slowly. "Everything's a little fuzzy. I think you joked about being a Wizard."

Magnus scoffed "As if!" and Alec looked relieved for a few seconds, until Magnus added, "Wizards are not real. I'm a _Warlock_, Alec. Huge difference!"

Alec just looked at him as if he was insane. Magnus laughed. "I realize telling you this when you're raging with fever wasn't my best decision, but I hate keeping things from you. Alec, I've been alive for a long time. I've forgotten what love was. Until you came along."

"I still think you're crazy," Alec muttered, sighing as he shifted to get more comfortable. "But I'm too sick to care. We'll talk when I feel better."

"Agreed," Magnus said.

"But I think that's sweet," Alec, his eyes slipping closed and his words beginning to slur. Magnus stroked his finger's through Alec's hair and whispered quietly to him until he fell asleep again.

When he did, Magnus slipped away from him and pressed a hand to his forehead. He frowned, realizing that Alec's fever was rising.

_What is going on?_

...

...

...

"Wait."

Luke flinched, his eyes falling closed as Clary bolted from the bed, putting distance between herself and Luke as her eyes widened.

"_What_ do you mean, weren't sure if I was _yours?_"

"He probably means pretty much what you're thinking, Clary. Did you never consider the possibility, knowing they love each other?" Jace asked helpfully.

"Jace, shut up," Clary snapped, turning her attention back to Luke. "How... what... there's a chance that _I'm you're daughter_?!"

"SHH!" Luke hissed, jumping up and clamping a hand over Clary's mouth. He looked around, worried, and only relaxed after a few moments. "Clary, we've hidden this secret for sixteen years because we know what Valentine would do if he found out. _He would kill us_."

"Yeah, what _he_ would do! Did it ever occur to you that _I would want to know_ that I may be your daughter?"

Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Clary, you _are_ my daughter."

Clary fell onto the bed again, more confused than ever. Tears of frustration were pooling in her eyes - was anything she'd ever been told true? _Anything_? - and the person she normally ran to when things like this happened and she needed comfort was the person who was causing her frustration and confusion in the first place.

"I thought... you said you weren't sure," she mumbled. "Wait. You're human and so is mom! You said I was a Shadowhunter," she accused, the inconsistencies only adding to her frustration.

Luke sighed and sat down in the chair, sensing that Clary did not want to be near him at that very moment.

"Let me start at the beginning and retell part of the story I told you and Jace the other night, this time with everything included."

"Yeah," Clary agreed, sarcasm tinting her tone as Jace walked over and sat beside her. He wove their fingers together and Clary sighed deeply, relaxing as his warmth coursed through her. "That would be good."

Luke, noting their contact but choosing not to comment, began.

"Your mother was pregnant with you and we weren't sure if you were mine or Master Valentine's. The... dates were too close to tell. Jocelyn and I were hoping against hope you'd be mine, because you'd be human. Here's where Jace's findings come in. We knew that Master Valentine had given Sebastian blood - human or angel, we weren't sure - when he was a baby. His eyes turned coal black for months after he was born. Jocelyn was afraid of him and hated to be near him. But oh, Valentine loved him! He showed so much promise, receiving his first rune at the tender young age of seven. He was the most powerful child I knew - he could do things Valentine couldn't. So when Jocelyn fell pregnant with _you_, we wanted you to be mine - because that would mean you would be human, you see. When you were born without any signs of Shadowhunter blood - you couldn't see the Shadowhunter world - we were relieved and excited because that meant you _were_ mine."

Luke paused, a faraway look in his eyes as he told his story. He looked wistful, like he wished he could return to the time when he and Jocelyn hid their love and the secret of their child. All those times Luke was being helpful with Clary when she was a baby, all the stories she'd been told - they now meant so much more. It was little snippets of time when they could pretend they were a real family - Jocelyn and Luke and Clary - when Valentine was gone or preoccupied.

It was Luke's happy place.

"You didn't show any signs during that first year and - falsely - we relaxed and put our guards down. We believed that Valentine wouldn't give you any blood, because he had waited until Sebastian showed signs of the Sight before experimenting on him. But Valentine was patient and you were fourteen months when you showed signs of having the Sight. Humans can have it, you know - I do, and the fact that I'm your father may have made the chance that you would have it higher. Valentine took your Sight for confirmation that you had his blood. Because if you were half his - and he didn't know the truth - then that was the only logical explanation. We brought you to Magnus and he gave us the potion to hide your Sight. We still don't know when or how Master Valentine gave the blood to you, but it was late in the evening and I was putting you down to bed and I noticed that your eyes had changed color - they were black and we had been too late. For three days, they stayed black and your mother cried. We were worried because we knew at that point - with almost 100% certainty, thanks to Magnus - that you were mine. How would the blood affect a human? I mostly took care of you during that time, because your mother was in shock," Luke continued, and Clary just nodded, making no move to be closer though his story was beginning to make more sense.

"What happened then?" Jace prompted, because Clary was speechless from shock and confusion. "After her eyes turned black. Because they clearly didn't stay that way. And the blood didn't kill her."

Luke nodded. "Sebastian's eyes didn't stay black, either, but his were black for much longer. After three days, Clary's eyes turned a rich golden color. And the rest is history. Clary, we have no idea what the effect of that blood was on you. Jocelyn and I believe that - and it's just a guess, though a very good one - Sebastian got the demon blood and you received the blood of the angel. Because of that and having the Sight - and despite being human - you have a good chance of being able to receive the angel's runes, since you've had his blood. You could, with training, be a Shadowhunter - so I didn't actually lie to you the other night. But you could also easily die from the runes if we're wrong. We've never wanted to try."

"Is there a way to know whether or not she'd survive?" Jace asked, once again voicing Clary's thoughts for her. "I mean, a test, or something?"

Luke shrugged, wiping a tired hand over his eyes. "There may be. I don't know of any such test, but my exposure to the world of Shadowhunters is limited. I only know what Master Valentine has told me. He only ever told me in the first place because I saw him crawling home almost dead. I have the Sight - some humans do - and Master Valentine decided that because of that he could train me to be his bodyguard and an extra set of eyes. He helped me develop my Sight to the point where it's as good as a Shadowhunters now."

While Jace and Luke were talking about angel and demon blood and runes and Shadowhunters, Clary was trying to wrap her mind around everything she'd been told.

"Wait," she said, and at the sound of her voice, both men stopped talking and turned their attention to her. "_You're_ my dad?"

Jace chuckled lightly, nervous and amused at the same time. He was nervous for Clary and Luke, because he knew they had such a good relationship and he didn't know how this would affect that.

"Right," Luke said, and then ran a hand through his hair, standing but not making a move to be closer to Clary. "I realize that this must be hard for you to accept. It feels different for me, like a weight has been lifted off. I've known my whole life, wanting to tell you but knowing why it needed to wait until you were old enough to understand the vitality of keeping it a secret. I feel light, and happy, and ... well, terrified, because I've loved you your whole life and wanted nothing more than to be a father to you."

Clary nodded, and then met his eyes, attempting a small smile. "You've always been a father to me, much more so than Valentine. I... I still don't ... I can't wrap my mind around it yet. I want some time to think."

Luke nodded. "Take all the time you need."

"Actually," a new voice cut in, the door slamming open loudly. It resounded through the room like an explosion. The voice was undeniably masculine and filled with emotion. "I'd prefer your didn't take any time. And instead answer a few questions for me!"

* * *

Dun dun dun... If you have questions, let me know. I did my very best to sun up why Clary has the Sight and received the blood but still be 100% human as a child. I've been planning this since Chapter 1 - but it took MUCH LONGER than expected to get it all out! Did anyone expect this?! Still more secrets to come! _**(Which at least one person has already guessed!) **_

**Please Review**! Reviewing earns you a **sneak peak of Chapter 14** - along with (possibly) the identity of who just burst in on their little chat)!


	14. Ch 14 - The Burning Inside

**Angels and Demons**

* * *

_"Right," Luke said, and then ran a hand through his hair, standing but not making a move to be closer to Clary. "I realize that this must be hard for you to accept. It feels different for me, like a weight has been lifted off. I've known my whole life, wanting to tell you but knowing why it needed to wait until you were old enough to understand the vitality of keeping it a secret. I feel light, and happy, and ... well, terrified, because I've loved you your whole life and wanted nothing more than to be a father to you."_

_Clary nodded, and then met his eyes, attempting a small smile. "You've always been a father to me, much more so than Valentine. I... I still don't ... I can't wrap my mind around it yet. I want some time to think."_

_Luke nodded. "Take all the time you need."_

_"Actually," a new voice cut in, the door slamming open loudly. It resounded through the room like an explosion. The voice was undeniably masculine and filled with emotion. "I'd prefer your didn't take any time. And instead answer a few questions for me!"_

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Clary stared at the form in the doorway, her heart taking off into overdrive. She could hear her rushing blood in her ears and thought, for those few seconds before it became apparent who was in the doorway, that she might faint.

"Magnus," Jace's voice broke in, and Clary could feel the worry and fear drop from her like a cloak. "What are you doing in here?"

Magnus brushed past him and sat down in the chair that was now empty.

"I need to know things," he demanded, posing his question to Luke, who was sighing as he realized he was going to have to tell his story over again. "Alec is sick and Master Valentine just marched out the front door like a man on a mission. What is wrong with Alec and what the hell does Valentine think he's doing, meeting with tall, dark, and mysterious men before leaving the manor?"

"What _is_ wrong with Alec?" Luke asked, and placed a hand on Jace's shoulder as Jace opened his mouth to tell his discoveries concerning the blood.

Magnus flailed his hands about in the air, communicating that he had no idea. "He has been sick on and off since he got here, and he fainted a few hours ago. He woke up and spoke to me briefly, but fell unconscious again and his fever only continues to rise. I can't keep it down and I ..."

He broke off, realizing his voice was thick with worry and emotion.

Luke paced back and forth on the carpet, processing all of this new information.

"Before you came in," he said. "We were discussing a discovery of Jace's."

_Among other things_, Clary thought internally, but didn't voice her sarcastic thoughts.

"He toppled over a pile of notes and saw some of Master Valentine's on the bottom. They were notes about pairs of test subjects - one of the pairs we have - almost positively - identified as Clary and Sebastian. Master Valentine gave them blood, only once, when they were babies. One subject didn't show any signs of lasting effect, just initial sickness for a few months - Sebastian. The other - Clary - was fine initially but has since shown signs of sickness, suggesting the blood has never left her system. We suspect the other pair must be demonstrating similar symptoms, though the notes suggested they were human instead of Shadowhunter, though so is Clary, so nothing is definite."_  
_

Magnus, who was a quick sort of fellow, picked up quickly on what Luke was suggesting. "Alec could have been given demon or angel blood."

"Which," Jace piped up, a little too happily. "Statistically means that I am the other poor sucker who was given the opposite blood."

"It is highly likely," Luke concluded.

The four of them stood in silence for a long time. Finally, it was broken by Clary.

"Everything else aside," she said, glancing briefly at Luke as she spoke. "I think our priority needs to be finding out what's wrong with mother and Alec."

"Your mother will be fine," Magnus said, swiftly standing and gliding to the door to open it for everyone. "I've placed her in a magical sort of coma," he said, using simplified words he was sure would get across to them. "She won't be awake or aware until I choose to wake her up. It will give her a chance to heal. So," he decided, his logic sound but his brain telling him he was doing it for purely selfish reasons. "We should focus our attention solely on Alec."

Clary nodded, her whole body yearning to move toward the room her mother was in but knowing that she couldn't. Alec was sick and not safe - her mother was and would be safe until they could heal her.

"Although," Jace whispered as they walked from the room and into the kitchens. "I don't know exactly how much help we'll be."

Warlocks, apparently, had fantastic hearing.

Magnus chuckled and grinned, despite himself. "Oh, plenty," he said, descending the stairs to the basements. "I plan to put all three of you to work researching, since Master Valentine has taken a leave of absence and won't care if the work down here gets done or not. We need to find out what effect demon _and_ angel blood has on those who receive it, specifically those who are human adults, as we have a general idea how it affects both Shadowhunter and human children, since Sebastian and Clary are still alive."

Clary nodded, her hands already itching to find books and papers that might tell her more about what had been done to her - and her brother, Alec, and Jace.

"Do we have any idea which blood was given to Sebastian and Clary?" Magnus asked, strolling over to the tiny room Valentine had marked off as his office and sealed with runes.

Clary shrugged, but Luke was the one who spoke. "We aren't sure, however we can theorize - _I_ believe that Clary was given the blood of an angel, because her eyes turned golden after a few days whereas Sebastian's stayed black longer. Though Clary is 100% human, she has the Sight, which is why Valentine thought she had Shadowhunter blood. However, because Valentine believed that she had Shadowhunter blood when he gave the angel blood to her - and didn't realize that she was human - his notes may be biased or skewed because of that. Sebastian was the only Shadowhunter in this experiment."

Magnus looked skeptical at the idea, but nodded anyway. "We can start with that information. Let me think," he mumbled, and as he inspected the lock, no one interrupted his thoughts. "Let's forget that Sebastian is a Shadowhunter for the moment and treat everyone the same. When the blood was given when Clary and Sebastian were babies, Sebastian was sick right off but grew out of it - Alec's symptoms, though I see no growing out of it yet. Clary was fine immediately but later showed occasional signs of weakness and sickness - Jace symptoms, because he is fine right now. By that logic, Alec was given Demon blood and Jace the blood of the Angel."

Everyone was silent for several moments as Magnus worked on the lock on Valentine's door. He was drawing patterns on the door - not runes, Clary thought, though she wasn't sure. Probably magical Warlock spells.

Jace was the one who finally broke the silence. "So," he began, his hands in his pockets and his brow furrowed. "If I was given angel blood, one of two things is going to happen. I'll survive it, and probably be able to receive the runes of the angel like a Shadowhunter, or I'll die."

Luke was the only one who nodded, confirming Jace's assumptions.

Clary's heart was beating fast, liking the idea of Jace being like her but terrified of the idea of him dying. Jace, sensing her conflicting emotions, reached out to take her hand just as Magnus broke through the lock.

"Finally," he grumbled, throwing the door open and striding in like he owned the place. He began to pull books - thick, musty volumes - from the shelves and papers from the drawers. Though he'd never been in here, he seemed to understand Valentine's system. Maybe Warlocks and crazy Shadowhunters thought the same way.

"Clary and Jace, start looking through these books," Magnus said, filling their arms with books titled things like _The Age of Demons_, and _Effects of Experimentation on Demons. _Then he passed piles and piles of Valentine's notes to Luke, who accepted them and moved out into the larger room to spread out and arrange them by case. "You are looking for any past experiments of Demon blood on humans, and how they turned out. You are also looking for anything that can cleanse a human of demon blood, such as a potion or a-a ... _anything__," _he finished lamely, throwing his hands into the air as he stalked to the door.

"I'm going to check on Alec and then consult some of my own books," he said, gliding out of the room. Clary turned to look at Jace, who shrugged and began riffling through the yellowed, worn pages.

"Just start looking," he said, and Clary nodded, opening her own book and beginning.

...

...

...

It was four hours later when Izzy came down the stairs with a tray of tea and still steaming food. Clary and Jace had spread out over Valentine's whole officer, filling every surface with books left open to interesting and possibly relevant sections. As soon as the aroma of food and drink hit them, they looked up sharply.

Jace breathed in deeply of the earthy scent of herbal tea and grinned.

"Um," Izzy began, her eyes casting back and forth around the room, taking it all in in confusion and fear. "Luke said to bring down some tea and biscuits. He said you're doing research for Master Valentine?" It seemed more like a question than a statement.

Clary stood, pushing several thick volumes off of her lap before embracing her friend. "Yeah," she said, trying to hold onto the lie. "He did. I'm sorry I didn't come see you this morning," she added, remembering her rushed apology and promise from the hallway. She couldn't believe that it had only been this morning that Jace had hauled her in to talk to Luke. "This smells wonderful," she added, trying to distract from the paper-thin lie.

"I baked them myself," Izzy said proudly. "Master Valentine wasn't around to give me instructions today, so mother said I could help in the kitchen. They have cheese in them, and a special herb mix of my own," she added proudly, and that was all she needed to say for Jace to grab one and stuff the thing - whole and still steaming hot - into his mouth.

It was only three seconds later that he gagged on the roll and tried to spit it out.

Izzy looked concerned. "You shouldn't take such big bites, you'll choke," she said reproachfully, and set the tray down. "Um, I should be going. I'll see you tonight, Clary?"

Clary nodded, hoping this was true. She reached for a biscuit as Izzy left the room. Before she could take the first bite, Jace's hand flew out from nowhere and knocked the roll to the floor. Clary turned and looked at him in surprise, annoyed he'd thrown her roll away.

"I'm _starving_," she said, reaching for another.

"Not that starving, trust me," he said, spitting another piece from his mouth as he swiped the rolls from the counter and threw them all away. "God, what did she _put in those_? I have never - I mean _never_, Clary - tasted anything so awful. Maybe the tea is good."

Clary sighed and sunk down onto the floor again, reaching for her book. Now she was tired, cold, _and_ hungry. Even the cup of tea - warm and, thankfully, tasty - couldn't make her much happier. When Jace joined her on the floor again and squished himself as close to her as he could get while still having room for books and papers on his own lap, she smiled a little bit.

"What if we don't find anything?" she finally asked, voicing everyone's fears.

"We will," Jace said. "We have to. I can't lose Alec, too."

And so with renewed determination, Clary threw herself back into _Demons and the Transference of Their Powers_.

...

...

...

It was nearing midnight when Magnus sauntered back downstairs. He saw Luke sleeping on the couch downstairs and heard Jace and Clary's soft voices floating from Valentine's office. They were reading sections of their books to each other, pausing occasionally to, Magnus assumed, take some notes.

He ignored them and walked quietly into Alec's room, assuming that Alec would still be sleeping. The potion he'd given the younger man before he'd left for his own office should have knocked him out for over twelve hours while it worked on his fever.

Which was why he was surprised when he heard the voice - Alec, but more raspy and deep.

"Magnus," he said, and when Magnus walked over, he had to stifle a scream. It was Alec, but it wasn't. His eyes were completely black, the pupil expanding to cover every inch of white that was showing. His skin was dry, cracked, and bleeding. His hands were clenched into fists, shaking. "Magnus, stop them," he moaned, thrashing back and forth on the bed, tears slipping from his eyes and rolling down his ashen cheeks.

"Alec," Magnus whispered, falling down on his knees beside the bed. He took Alec's shaking hands into his own and gasped at how warm they were. Not feverish, but hot, like the blood inside of Alec's body was boiling over. "Alec, stop who? What are they doing to you?"

Alec grasped his hands tightly, as if holding onto Magnus's hands was the only thing keeping him tethered to the room, to his own life.

"I don't know," he moaned, his brow sweaty and his head thrashing from side to side. "They're inside of me, burning me. Oh, God, stop the burning!"

"Alec, Alec," Magnus cried, weeping openly, helpless. Completely helpless. "Alec, stay with me. Tell me what I can do. How can I help you?"

"Kill me," he gasped, and Magnus felt his heart crumble into a million pieces.

What pain was this boy feeling, that he begged for death?

"No," he refused, staggering into a sitting position on Alec's bed. With shaking hands, he checked over the rest of Alec's body. He was hot, shaking, his limbs no longer under his control as he thrashed about, angry movements that he was unable to control but that he hoped would bring some relief. "No, I can't do that."

"Magnus, they're inside of me, they're burning me. I can't hold on. Please, please kill me!"

"No," Magnus said again, his resolve building as he grasped both of Alec's flailing hands in his own. He pressed his lips to the searing skin. "No, I'm going to fix this. I'm going to fix you. I'll make them stop burning you, I promise."

"You... p-promise?" Alec gasped, his eyes widening even further as his back arched in pain. "You'll stop the evil inside of me? I can feel it, Magnus. I can feel the evil, clawing to get out of me. You have to stop it. You have to kill me."

"No," Magnus repeated, struggling to stand. "No, I'm going to heal you. I'll stop the evil and I won't kill you."

"What the _hell_?"

Magnus's attention was suddenly drawn to the door, where Jace was standing, horrified, his eyes not meeting Magnus and instead sweeping over the body of his brother.

"Jace," Magnus said softly, sliding into the bed behind Alec and moving him around until his hands and feet were by his sides. "Jace, I need rope."

Jace nodded, his eyes finally shifting to meet Magnus's tear stained gaze.

"Right," he croaked, and then he turned and ran.

"Please, kill me," Alec groaned, no longer thrashing but instead holding onto Magnus's hand for dear life. "The evil, the burning. Please, please, please..."

Magnus didn't speak again, instead choosing to weep silently while he waited. He brushed his fingers through Alec's hair and kissed his sweaty, bleeding forehead. He murmured comforting sounds but didn't form any new words, not even when Jace returned with the rope and the two worked in silence to tie Alec to the bed, hands and arms, wincing when Alec's fingernails, charred and long, scraped their skin, drawing blood.

It was when Alec let out a long, tortured scream that Magnus finally collapsed into Jace's arms, worn.

"We've found something interesting," Jace said, unsure how to comfort another man but willing to try. The look in Magnus's eyes was something he never wanted to see again - it was a pain so great Jace could not describe it. "That's why I came to find you. Clary and I finally found something that might be able to help Alec."

It was the promise of helping save the man he loved, a new hope slowly bubbling under the surface of terror and anguish, that propelled Magnus forward.

* * *

_Wow. I didn't actually mean to write all that in one chapter, but it just happened. Poor Alec... ALSO SORRY I DIDN'T UPDATE FOR TWO WEEKS! That was my bad. Updates will be staggered until school ends (SO CLOSE) and after that should come more often, as I will have more free time this summer! Woot! _

_**Please**** Review!**__ I've given up on sneak peaks (I am FAR too busy to send them out most times!), but I still value your input and am determined to see this story to it's wonderful end! =)_


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